The Warrior
by okabe-angel
Summary: [COMPLETE] "You're now my wife. Every single soul who seeks you shall get through the entire kingdom, and me, first," he stated. "Why would a prince like you put such an attention to me?" she asked angrily. He looked at her in disbelief, wishing she hadn't lost her memory. He used to be the poor one, while she the princess of Kinomoto. And they used to be in love...
1. Knight With A Scar

Disclaimer: I do not own CCS. I just own the plot.

Chapter 1 - "Knight with a Scar"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The rain was falling as dark cloud covered the sky above the village of Kinomoto Kingdom.

A young woman, her footsteps heavy on the wet path inside the village, covered her face and body from the strong weather with her thick coat and hood. Her eyes watered as she walked to the front door of her sister's house, wondering what she would say. Closing her eyes as she gathered her courage, she knocked twice.

"Yes?"

She heard the response along with the footsteps coming from inside the house.

"Yelen?" The owner of the house gasped in surprise as she saw her elder sister standing at the door and looking like a mess. "Why so sudden? What happened?"

"Ren," Yelen answered, lost for words. The tears she had been trying to hold finally start to make their way down her cheeks.

"Oh my God. Are you okay?" Ren asked with worry. "Come inside. Quick!" She pulled her elder sister to the house; the sound of the wind was blocked when she closed the door. "Wait a moment. I'll make you something hot." She turned her heels to the kitchen and was reaching for a cup when she felt her arm being pulled.

"No, Ren," Yelen stopped her, not even bothering to take off her coat first. She looked at Ren with her broken eyes. "Listen to me," she made it sound like it was something dead serious.

Ren turned to look at her, and from the look on her sister's face, she could tell that it was serious. She could feel her fingers started to shake as she held the cup. "Don't tell me.."

"I'm pregnant," Yelen stated.

The cup fell onto the floor; the sound of it breaking into pieces filled the air. Ren covered her mouth in disbelief.

"-And I had to leave," she continued.

Ren was speechless; Yelen collapsed on her, crying hard on her shoulders. She swayed a little before reaching out to caress Yelen's back, soothing her. "It's gonna be okay, Yelen. It's gonna be okay," she tried to comfort her, yet she had no idea how to deal with the problem.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. 11 years later .-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

A young boy ran fast as his legs could bring him, laughing; his cousin followed him behind.

"Come back here, you brats!" a man yelled furiously.

The boy looked at his cousin with victory and took a bite of an apple he had stolen a few seconds ago. He threw another one to his cousin, who grinned as he caught it in his hand.

"Get them!" The victim ordered two bigger men to catch the thieves who caused him to lose some money and stock.

"Shit, Syaoran."

"Catch us if you can!" Syaoran yelled, amused at the men chasing him and his cousin. Seeing the hard look on their faces as he said so made him want to laugh even more. "C'mon, Tak," he told his cousin, smirking.

They were running through the people in the alley. Takashi nodded as he ran beside Syaoran, feeling the men behind them getting closer. He watched when one of the men threw his bat over Syaoran, who expertly ducked it. Yet when they approached a corner to turn, he could feel his throat clamp up when a big hand gripped his shirt collar from behind.

Takashi struggled to break free, but the man lifted him up and said, "Small kids like you should be punis-" the man could not finish his last word, for Syaoran kicked him on the gut. He fell with his back on the ground, releasing his grip on Takashi when pain stroke him. "You!" Trying to stand up, he watched when Syaoran pulled Takashi to run off.

The other man run passed him, pulling out his knife to teach the two trouble makers a lesson for messing with them. He watched when Syaoran bent down a little to lift Takashi, who stepped both his feet onto Syaoran's shoulders, climbed onto the roof of one of the stands in the alley, and climbed up higher to the rooftop.

People watched and gasped when Syaoran used his leg to step on the brick wall and climbed up, but the man pulled him down, making him fall down to the ground.

Syaoran moved his head away, so the knife aimed at him hit the ground instead. He moved his head again to survive the second attack and aimed a kick at the man's face, making him groan in pain.

Syaoran flipped to stand up while the man was t**rying** to regain his balance. The man was furious and attacked him again with the knife, but he managed to block all of his attempts. He kicked the man's hand, making the knife fly off, and expertly caught it.

Just as Syaoran thought that he had the upper hand, the other man grabbed him from behind. He struggled to break free, elbowing his opponent's ribs. When his opponent released his grip, he ran and planted the knife in the wall, using it to climb up to the roof.

Yet before he could climb up higher, the man threw another knife at his hand; and this time, it scratched him, drawing a thin line of blood. His hand slipped away, and he fell down.

He thought he would feel the ground, but his body crashed onto a carriage first and then on the ground harshly.

He winced in pain, thinking that the man would attack him again with the knife, but nothing happened.

Hearing horses' steps and the sound of wheels stopping, he opened his eyes to find a soldier on a horse aiming a sword at his face. He could feel the cold metal when the tip touched his chin.

"What is it?" came the King's voice inside the carriage.

"Just a small boy, Your Highness. Do you want us to get rid of him?" The soldier answered, not leaving his eyes off Syaoran, for he thought that it was very rude to crash onto the King's carriage.

"What is it, papa?" came a small girl's voice f**rom **inside the carriage, filled with worry. She had nearly screamed when something hit above her.

"It's okay, my beloved," the King answered his daughter. "Spare the boy. I do not want Sakura to be in fear. She is too young to witness bloodshed around her," he ordered his soldier, telling the truth about his 8-year old daughter.

"Right away, Your Highness," the soldier obeyed and took his sword away from Syaoran. "Stand up and apologize to Your King," he ordered Syaoran.

Syaoran got back to his feet and stood up, facing the carriage door as the soldier pushed him. "My apologize, Your Highness," he said briefly and firmly, not showing any fear.

At first, The King was not even bothered to look at the source of the voice. He could care less if it was some other boy, but something about his voice interested him, for it didn't give the impression of someone cowering under his authority. It even sounded like menacing, which was something he would never heard from his people.

The King turned to the window and opened the curtain, so he could see the young boy.

People in the alley gasped in shock as they watched, believing that something not good must have happened, for their King put an attention to the boy.

"What is your name, young boy?" The King asked, looking at Syaoran's piercing amber eyes, and saw his bravery, someone lacking fear and of strong personality.

"Syaoran."

The King broke their eye contact when Sakura nudged him, "Papa?"

The little princess looked out of the window curiously as she tried to find who her father was talking to, and for the first time, amber met emerald.

Syaoran's breath was caught in his throat as he looked at the princess staring at him. His heart skipped a beat, and for the first time, he felt a strange emotion inside him and lack of control of himself.

Sakura looked at Syaoran and felt his aura sending shivers down her spine. She had never seen someone else with that kind of aura before; it was the kind of aura her father had, which could make anyone cower under it.

The King closed the curtain and ordered his soldier, "Bring him to the woods with us."

His people were surprised; the villagers murmured.

The king and his troops were just passing by the village on the way to go hunting at the woods, and then he decided to drag the 11-years-old boy along with them. They didn't know what that was supposed to mean, whether it was an honor or a punishment by the King.

Syaoran didn't have any time to accept no**r refuse**, for the soldier immediately brought him up onto the horse with him. Within seconds, they rode off, leaving the villagers behind.

Takashi watched from the roof, and his eyes widened in shock when Syaoran was brought outside the village by the King. "I have to tell Aunt Yelen about this." He hurried to go back home, thinking about how worried Syaoran's mother would be.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. At the lake near the woods . -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Papa, can't I come with you this time?" Sakura pouted as she watched her father got off the carriage, c**rossing** her arms on her chest.

The King chuckled at her cute expression. "No, cherry blossom. The woods are dangerous for you," he warned, saying the truth, and drew out his sword, checking it. He also checked his soldiers who were getting prepared; each of them had the arrows on their back. "We will just catch some deer and be back in no time. Besides, don't you like this place?" He raised a brow.

"I LOVE this place," Sakura answered, sighing.

They had stopped at the place near the lake where she usually played while waiting for her father to finish the hunt. It was a really beautiful place where she liked to collect flowers, but the fact that the new young boy was joining the hunt bothered her; something about his presence invited her.

"Good girl. Remember to stay out of the water. I ordered two soldiers to guard you, my dear," The King kissed Sakura's forehead, and she stepped off the carriage.

Sakura nodded and looked up at him. "Be careful, papa."

Syaoran was checking out his weapon when a soldier said, "We're leaving in 3 minutes."

Syaoran nodded and stretched out his hand, aiming the arrow at a spot to give it a try.

The soldier was wondering why the King allowed some kid to join the hunt; even the soldiers had to be trained to survive the woods. 'What is the King trying to prove? Maybe he just wants to punish him,' he thought.

Syaoran sighed as he felt the heat of the sun. Walking off, he started to the lake for a while to refresh himself. He splashed the cold water on his face but was startled when he saw a beautiful face appeared behind him at the reflection on the lake.

He quickly turned around to find Sakura there.

"Ah, I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to surprise you," Sakura stuttered.

It was funny because in fact, she was surprised too when he turned around.

Syaoran didn't answer, for he was too lost in her beauty. He was able to see her closer and clearer now rather than when she was in the carriage. Her honey brown hair, her emerald eyes, her porcelain skin, and her angelic voice seemed so real and unreal at the same time. 'Is this the beauty of a princess?' he thought. And heck, she was only 8.

Sakura smiled nervously and turned her back at him. She walked slowly on the grass to where she had put her flowers, and Syaoran followed behind.

"It's pretty, right?" she showed the white and purple flowers already formed into necklace; she liked playing with flowers. She turned around to face him again.

"Yes," Syaoran answered promptly, meaning her and not the flowers.

"Oh! Are you hurt?" Sakura gasped, looking at Syaoran's right hand where the knife had scratched on earlier.

Syaoran watched when she pulled off the ribbon on her hair. His heart almost stopped when she touched his scratched hand and secured the ribbon on the wound.

She smiled when she finished, and he was stunned, without even being able to say thank you.

"Time to leave!"

They jumped when the soldier announced this loudly.

"Be careful," was all Sakura said.

He gave her a tiny smile and turned on his heels, hu**rrying** off to the hunt.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. Half an hour later. Inside the woods .-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The King watched when Syaoran aimed his arrow to his target. He then successfully hit the poor deer, making it collapse to the ground. The King had watched closely how he hunted: calculating his steps carefully before finally trapping the victim.

"Anything interesting about that boy, Fujitaka?" The King's younger brother asked, appearing beside him.

"That boy would make a great warrior, Jun," Fujitaka answered.

"Is that so?" Jun inquired sarcastically.

Fujitaka didn't respond, not leaving his eyes off Syaoran, who was checking the collapsed victim.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. Sakura .-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

She was humming happily when she put the necklace of flowers around her neck. A smile touched her lips as she glanced at her reflection on the lake with the necklace, proud of her work.

"Ah!" She almost tripped herself onto the water but fortunately managed to hold herself from falling with her hand grasping the grass behind. She sighed in relief and laid her back on the grass, feeling stupid; her hands were still shaking because of the panic. "Stupid Sakura," she murmured to herself, and her eyes snapped open as she realized the situation.

Usually, she should have heard one of her guards yelled frantically by then. They should have warned her not to get too close to the water or not to trip herself.

She sat up and looked around. It was so quiet and deserted; there was nobody else but her. She was sure that she could hear her guards talking to each other only 10 minutes ago.

"Hello?" she called but received no answer. "Are you guys there?" she called again, raising her voice; but still, there was no answer. She could sense that something was wrong, for her guards would never leave her irresponsibly. God knows what her father might do to them if they did so.

She felt her heart beating faster; she didn't like to be alone, especially when she was outside the castle and her father was not around.

"Papa.." she began to sob, feeling scared. Trying to hold back her tears, she headed to the trunks where her guards had been playing poker while watching her. She could see the cards were still there, scattered all over the place. "Hello?" her voice was shaky as she called, hoping desperately for an answer.

She walked to a darker area where more trees surrounded her and covered her eyes with her small hands, wiping her tears away. Suddenly, she stumbled on something and fell down with her face on the ground.

"Ouch!" she winced as an incredible pain struck her ankle. Her skin bled as some unfriendly twigs on the ground had scratched her right arm.

She held her head up to see what she had stumbled on and gasped in horror, "No."

One of her guards was lying dead; his clothes and some parts of his body had been ripped off brutally. She could see the mark of animals' paw and his blood, and no one would recognize his face anymore.

"No." It was barely a whisper that left her mouth.

Suddenly, she could smell a predator; and as silence fell, she could hear the sound of it eating its other victim from behind a bushes a few steps ahead. Definitely, the other guard was being eaten.

She felt her whole body trembled in fear, and screamed inside. She wanted to run from that place but felt weak all over, and she couldn't even feel one of her legs.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. Syaoran .-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

He sent a code to the other soldiers, signaling that he had the target down.

The soldiers watched in awe when the deer fell helplessly on the ground. "Beautiful," one of them commented.

"Well done, Syaoran," the soldier who had cornered Syaoran with his sword in the village patted him on the shoulder.

Syaoran returned the smile, and a happy laugh escaped his lips.

Suddenly, he felt the air getting heavy, and a strong wind blew through the woods. He and the soldiers froze as a strong smell struck their noses.

It was the smell of a predator.

Syaoran had a bad feeling about this, staring at his hand in disbelief as the ribbon Sakura had secured was slowly pulled off and fled off with the wind. This sent shivers down his spine.

He immediately looked up at the sky, the leaves, and the direction of the wind as it blew against them. He cursed, "Shit", and sped off as fast as he could.

The older soldiers were still swallowing what was happening until they heard the King's command snapped at them.

"Get back to the lake! Now!" Fujitaka cried, **running** in the direction of Syaoran. Apparently, he had the same thought as the young boy's: there was a predator near the area where they first entered the woods. He didn't sense anything back then, but now the clues led them there.

Fujitaka's thought was only on his daughter. He couldn't imagine what he would do if he lost her.

Syaoran reached the lake where he had met up with Sakura earlier, but saw no one. He saw some of her flowers were on the grass, but Sakura was nowhere to be found. He headed to the carriage only to find that it was empty, and made his way to the trunks where the guards' cards were scattered all over the place.

Continuing his path, he made a sudden halt when he found the dead body of one of the guards lying on the ground. He didn't want to believe when he saw Sakura's necklace of flowers a few steps ahead. 'No,' his heart said, trying to deny what he was seeing.

He tried to focus on where she was going by touching the ground, examining her footsteps. He followed what he thought was her path until he heard the sound of animal growling under its breath.

It was a wolf, he concluded, and a big one at that.

He peeped carefully behind a tree, and found that it was eating the other guard.

Suddenly, he heard a soft sob a few steps ahead. His eyes widened when he saw Sakura trembling on the ground, hugging her knees behind the bushes.

Panic rose in him. How was he going to save her? She was too close to the predator!

He leaned around the trunk of the tree, and she saw him. She couldn't believe that someone was actually going to save her; she thought that she was going to die.

Seeing Syaoran in front of her apparently forced her to burst into tears, but Syaoran quickly told her to keep silent by putting his finger on his lips. At that, Sakura tried hard not to sob; her watery emerald eyes stared weakly at his amber ones.

'It's gonna be okay. Don't worry. It's gonna be okay,' he told her softly through his eyes, and she nodded. However, she felt helpless and couldn't move at all; she was too scared.

Syaoran saw that her ankle was swollen, which meant that she could hardly move from her hiding place, and he knew well that he couldn't protect her if he went to her; that would risk both of them killed.

Syaoran tried to make use the weapon he had as best as he could. He stepped very carefully to the space exactly the opposite of where Sakura was. To his horror, Sakura moved her legs.

The predator became aware of her existence as her foot made a crack sound behind the bushes.

Without waiting, Syaoran shot one of his arrows at the predator when it headed for Sakura.

The wolf growled furiously as the sharp metal pierced its skin, switching its attention to Syaoran.

Before the wolf started for him, S**yaoran** jumped into the tree and lifted himself up. He looked down and shot another arrow when the wolf tried to reach up to him.

Watching the wolf fall down harshly on the ground, Syaoran was about to aim another shot, but the wolf got to its feet and used its paws against the tree. Syaoran lost his balance and fell down on the ground, groaning in pain, for his head was smacked hard on the trunks.

Feeling the predator rushed up to him, he quickly pulled out one of his arrows and stabbed it on the wolf's eye before it could land its canine teeth on his face.

The wolf growled in pain, tu**rning** away, and Syaoran tried to regain his consciousness. Yet before he could even properly sit up, the wolf attacked him from behind.

"Argghh!" a painful scream escaped his lips as the wolf bit his shoulder; he felt as if his body was ripped apart.

The wolf didn't let go of him until another arrow pierced its skin from behind. It then fell weakly on the ground while soldiers hurriedly came to secure the situation.

Syaoran felt like the world had stopped, struggling in pain on the ground for dear life.

"Syaoran!" one of the soldiers yelled, looking at Syaoran in the face. "Syaoran!" but it was all blur.

The last thing Syaoran could see was Sakura crying on the King's shoulder while he carried her.

Fujitaka's face was filled with worry as he looked at Syaoran, before everything went black.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. The Castle. A week later .-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Yelen stared at her son's face while he was resting on the large bed. Her eyes were filled with tears, yet she admitted that she never raised her son to be someone weak.

Syaoran was always taught on how to be strong, and he never failed her.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when the King entered the room with Sakura holding his hand. "Your Highness." She was about to stand up to welcome him, but he smiled and signaled her to keep seated.

"How is he?" was the first question that left his mouth.

"Recovering," Yelen answered, sighing as she looked at her son again.

"Don't worry. He will regain his strength in no time and be even better than before," Fujitaka assured, telling the truth; he never saw anyone else who had learned and experienced as much as Syaoran had at such a young age. "You have a strong son. Someone else wouldn't have survived."

"Thank you," Yelen said at his compliment.

"But I'm sure that you are aware that the scar on his body will be permanent," Fujitaka stated, and he received a sad look from Yelen.

She nodded quietly.

Sakura gasped at this; she didn't want to believe what she heard. She started to cry, for she was the cause of this.

"Your son will be honored to have fulfilled his duty of protecting this kingdom and my daughter. I don't know how to thank you enough."

Yelen only smiled softly hearing his sentence.

They watched when Sakura let go of her father's hand and sat beside Syaoran. She bu**ried** her face in her arms on the bed while she cried.

"Stay in this castle," Fujitaka suddenly stated.

Yelen was startled hearing that. "Your Highness?" She didn't understand.

"I mean that you and your son are going to live in this castle from now on." He knew just how to thank Syaoran and Yelen, fo**r** they had been living very poorly in the village.

"But.."

"It's not an option. It's an order from your King," Fujitaka stated firmly.

Yelen froze at this.

"Your son will live in this castle as the Warrior of the Kingdom, and you his mother. Do this honor, for he has saved the life of Sakura, my one and only daughter."

Yelen was lost for words.

"Come, follow me outside to have a clearer view of what both of you will receive from me and what your son has to do," he continued.

He left her no choice but to follow him. She never thought that her son would make their lives change drastically like this.

They stared at Syaoran and Sakura one last time, walked off the room and closed the door softly behind them.

Sakura was starting to fall asleep, for she had been tired from crying, but her eyes snapped open as she heard the door being closed. She stared at the handsome face lying on the bed before her, and her tears started to fill her eyes again.

"I'm sorry.. and thank you.." she leaned forward and kissed his cheek, meaning every word she said.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. A month later .-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The King of Kinomoto was sitting on his throne when he watched his newest warrior walking up to him: a young boy in a knight suit. A smile touched Fujitaka's lips as he watched the boy, who had recovered from a near fatal injury.

The King's daughter, the princess, watched when the young boy who had saved her life walked up to her and the King. She felt the sudden urge to look away when his amber eyes caught hers.

"Your Highness." Syaoran bent down on his knee when he reached the bottom of the stairs leading to the thrones.

"How are you, Syaoran?" Fujitaka asked.

"Never better, Your Highness," Syaoran answered, showing his respect for the King.

"I am glad to have you back," Fujitaka said. "I see that you haven't been properly introduced to my daughter, Sakura. She is the person you have risked your life for to save, and she is my one and only daughter, the princess of this Kingdom."

"Princess, it was my honor to save you." Syaoran turned to Sakura; his eyes were showing determination.

"I am sure that my daughter wants to hear more about you, warrior." Fujitaka said.

Sakura looked at him in question and turned again to Syaoran, who looked her in the eyes and said,

"I am Syaoran, and my job is to protect you."

.

AN: To be continued. Special thanks to CreampuffCat who had beta read this chapter :)


	2. Irresistible Love

Thank you to my reviewers. Enjoy the story :)

**Chapter - " Irresistible Love "**

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. 9 years later .-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Laughter filled the air as they rode their horses inside the woods. A grown up Princess Sakura led at the front with her white horse. The wind blew softly against her long honey brown hair, and her tiara glistened as the sun cast its ray over it.

"C'mon Syaoran!" she said. She laughed as she glanced back over her shoulder at the young man riding the horse behind her.

Syaoran just smirked hearing that as he followed his princess. Years had passed since he was assigned to be her warrior, and he had grown up into a dauntless one who always fulfilled his duty, and whom nobody would dare to pick as an enemy.

"I hate you. You let me win so easily!" Sakura halted and put a cute pout on her face as she turned around. Syaoran laughed at this.

"How would I watch out for you Princess, if I were to leave you behind?" was his response.

"You're no fun!" she rode off again.

Syaoran shook his head in disbelief.

"Now catch me if you can! You'll be sorry to underestimate me!"

"I will catch you even if you don't order me to," he said jokingly, but he meant every of those words.

Sakura laughed as she felt Syaoran catching up behind. They stopped at a river.

"Oh, I think I'll definitely have some time here for a while. The water is calling me," she sighed as she looked dreamily at the beautiful scenery before her. She was already quite tired of riding, and although she never wanted to show it to Syaoran, he knew her more than anyone else.

Before Sakura could step off from her horse, he already stood beside her. He offered his hand to help her down.

"Thanks," she said. He smiled at her. "And of course you don't forget that today is my birthday, do you?" she looked at him sharply. "The day when I finally turn 17," she continued proudly.

Syaoran tried hard not to chuckle hearing that. Even though she was 17, she was still acting like a kid.

Of course he didn't forget about the big day, but it was a rhetorical question so that he didn't have to answer.

"Just because you're 3 years older than me doesn't mean that you can stop me from having what I want today," she stated.

He raised a brow. "Well, it depends on what you want to do. If it's something dangerous, then I'm sorry to say that I will stop you," he said matter-of-factly.

She glared at him. "Fine! We'll see." She turned around and walked to the edge of the river.

Syaoran watched in disbelief as she took off her clothes and threw them onto the ground while going for the water.

She stepped into the river. She felt the cool water as her feet touched the bottom. Half her body in the water, she glanced back over her shoulder at him and said, "What, you can't stop me?"

Syaoran was lost for words as her intense emerald eyes looked deeply at him, and the fact that she was facing him half naked didn't help.

"Hmph, you can't." She smiled in victory.

His jaw tightened. Here he was worried about her, but she played with him with such a trick.

"Get out of the water and get dressed," Syaoran said.

Sakura blurted out a laugh. "Sorry. You can't order me." She stuck out her tongue.

"Yes, I can."

"No, you can't."

"Yes, I can, because it is your father's, the King's order for me to protect you."

Silence fell. Sakura didn't respond to his sentence, but instead he saw anger on her face, and if he wasn't mistaken, a hurt look.

"No," came her stubborn response.

Syaoran sighed. "Why are you making this hard for me?"

"Then I'm sorry that my father's order had become such a trouble for you!" she snapped.

This caused Syaoran to stare at her face in disbelief. He still remembered telling her in the first place that it was an honor to protect her. Yet, she accused him of such a thing.

And moreover, he couldn't believe that he was having a fight with her over such a situation.

Clenching his fist, he walked off. She looked at him in disbelief. He knew more than well that he couldn't drag her out from the water unless it was her own wish.

"Syaoran?" Sakura called when she saw him walked off further.

He was heading into the woods.

"Syaoran!" she called again. She received no answer.

She couldn't believe that he was just going to leave her alone. "Ouch!" she cried in pain as she stumbled in the water and knocked herself on one of the stones in the edge.

Syaoran stopped and glanced back.

"Ah, my foot. It's cramp," she gasped panicky as she fell into the water.

"What—" Syaoran immediately rushed back to her and got into the water. He didn't even bother to take off his clothes and shoes.

He held her body up. Worries were written all over his face.

"What happened? Which one hurts?" he asked quickly, examining her feet. Yet, at the same time, it was as if he was afraid to touch her, as if her body was a fragile thing, and that his touch would break her.

Seeing the look on his face, Sakura couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, Syaoran. You got me," she said between laughter.

He looked at her with wonder. When he found her eyes, he knew that she had been faking it.

Sakura continued to laugh. She was thinking how funny it was that she had tears in her eyes.

"It's not funny."

"Sorry, what is it?" Sakura could barely hear because he spoke so low.

"IT'S NOT FUNNY" he snapped so loud that her heart beat twice. Never in her life had she heard Syaoran spoke like that before.

"Syaoran?"

"Did you enjoy that?" he hissed.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mea—"

"Did you enjoy that!" he repeated, raising his voice.

Sakura's heart sank.

"Do you think that it's funny to fool around like that? Did you enjoy pretending hurting yourself?"

"Syaoran, it was only—"

"Don't you ever think? Does the princess ever think a goddamn thing would ever happen to her?"

"Syaoran, please—"

"Answer me!" he growled.

She jumped hearing his tone.

"Answer me damn—" he stopped. He saw tears in her eyes. He almost accused her of faking it until he realized the look on her face that showed how terrified she was.

"I'm sorry—" she broke into tears. "I-I thought that you were going to leave me alone." Her voice was shaky as she held back sobs. She never had thought that he would be so angry. "I'm sorry, Syaoran. W-will you forgive me? I really didn't mean to make you mad. Please, please don't hate me," the last sentence was barely a whisper as she cried.

"Sssh…" Syaoran's eyes softened as he looked into Sakura's broken emeralds. "It's okay," he soothed, trying to wipe her tears away. "Here." He took off his shirt and covered her body with it. It was too big for her that it could cover her upper body and thighs. "Forgive me. I was too harsh on you." He pulled her to him and felt her hot tears on his chest. "Just don't ever do that again next time, okay?" he said, caressing her hair.

Sakura just nodded quietly.

"Let's get you out of here." He helped her walk out of the water to the ground. He sat on the grass after they walked out of the river and wrapped his arms around Sakura, who was still crying on his chest. "Shhh… It's okay."

Sakura didn't know how long she stayed there, but she felt so peaceful and safe in his arms that she fell asleep. She was tired as well.

It was at dusk when Syaoran decided to go back to the castle before dark. Not wanting to wake her up, he carried her in his arms after getting her clothes, and then placed her in front as he rode off with her on the horse.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. The following day -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Good morning, Yelen." Sakura popped up at the door. She smiled sweetly as she walked up to the woman. Her dress was flowing gracefully as she walked. "Thank you for yesterday."

"Your most welcome, my Princess," Yelen said, walking to her.

The day before, her son had showed up in her room carrying the princess, who was only wearing his shirt. She had been startled, yet believed that nothing had happened between them.

"I have dried your clothes too." She noticed that Sakura was looking for something. "Anything, my dear?" she and Syaoran were one of the few people close to the King and Sakura, other than the King's brother, that they could speak and address each other rather casually.

"Hm, do you know where Syaoran is?" Sakura asked. She had been looking for him in his room, but received no answer when she knocked.

"Oh, he's been practicing with Takashi outside," Yelen answered.

Sakura nodded. "I see. Okay then. Thanks," she said and smiled again before walking off.

"Anytime, my Princess." Yelen smiled back and let out a soft sigh as she watched her figure walking out through the door.

Sakura had indeed grown up into a stunning princess. Back then she was only a child, but time had really flown. And Yelen knew that it wasn't going to be easy for her son.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. Syaoran -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

He was drawing out his sword. He smirked as he watched his cousin, who also happened to be one of the soldiers, stepped carefully in front of him. The back yard had always been their place for practice. "I wouldn't take that if I were you," he said before Takashi gave him an attack from his left, but he quickly blocked it with his sword.

"Damn," Takashi smirked as he jumped out of Syaoran's attack.

"But I'll take this," Syaoran attacked him with his sword when he saw an opportunity.

Sounds of swords clashing with each other filled the air until Syaoran had Takashi locked and sent his sword out of his hand.

Takashi fell with his back on the ground when Syaoran cornered him and put the tip of his sword just above his stomach.

"You've gotta find a new partner for practice, Syao," Takashi sighed as he put his hands up in surrender.

"Like me?" Both of them turned to see the newcomer, only to find Sakura standing there. She was watching interestedly.

"Absolutely," Takashi said as he got up to his feet. He was amused.

Syaoran just laughed.

"Come on. My father also taught me some moves," she told them. Her hands were clasped in front. "Syaoran, are you scared?" she raised a brow. She was questioning him.

"Why would I be scared?"

"Because you know that I can defeat you," Sakura said without thinking.

It was funny how she always tried to bully Syaoran, but none of what she said made sense, and none of her words were threatening. They wished she could see that she was too innocent, too pure to scare people.

"What?" she glared as she looked at their expressions.

"Nothing," Syaoran said. He looked at her amusedly.

"Don't you think that my warrior has to at least train me how to fight?" she pointed out.

They all knew that Sakura had been personally trained by the King, and so had Syaoran.

"I don't think that's necessary, my Princess. I'll fight for you," Syaoran answered.

"He'll fight for you," Takashi emphasized, 150% agreed.

"But you won't be able to protect me all the time," she argued.

"What makes you think so? I'll always protect you," Syaoran said.

"He'll always protect you," Takashi emphasized again.

Syaoran glared at him. He was annoyed at how his cousin repeated his sentence.

Takashi chuckled.

"Oh, is that so?" Sakura raised a brow as she walked up to Syaoran. She placed her hands on Syaoran's hand holding the sword, and as her eyes locked with his, expertly stole the sword away from him. Smiling dangerously, she pushed Syaoran back with the tip of the sword.

Syaoran and Takashi were both surprised.

Takashi was amused at how Sakura could ruin Syaoran's concentration just by looking at him in the eyes and touching his hand, an ability that clearly other soldiers wanted to have.

"It was an order, Syao." Takashi smirked as he threw his sword to Syaoran, who caught it to battle with Sakura.

Syaoran took Sakura's challenge, and soon they were engaged in a battle, although it was almost as if he didn't try because he could block all her attempts easily. Nevertheless, he had to admit that she didn't waste her time learning from her father. She did take all of the advice, but her moves were still predictable.

Syaoran caught her wrist when she raised her sword for another attack. She struggled as she could not move her hand one bit. This made Takashi laughed.

Watching both of them battling in front of him gave a clear picture that they had a thing for each other. It was too obvious. Anyone could see that. When God put Syaoran beside Sakura, he wondered how the hell it was possible for them not to fall for each other. They attracted each other, and it was undeniable just like the gravity law.

They had been too close since they were kids, and he wondered whether he should tell his cousin to watch out his feelings. However, he guessed that it was already too late then.

He was snapped out of his thought when they heard the bells on top of the castle gave warning to all the people. They could also hear soldiers shouting from a far.

Syaoran and Sakura instantly stopped what they were doing.

Wondering what could have been wrong, all three of them hurried back into the castle to see what was happening.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"What happened?" Sakura asked. She was breathless when they reached the front hall of the castle. It was already packed with other soldiers. She pushed through them only to find her uncle appeared at the entrance. A group of soldiers followed behind him. "No! No" she cried. She rushed up to him as she noticed that six of the soldiers were carrying up a coffin on their shoulders.

"Sakura…" was the only word that left her uncle's mouth. His look was sad and devastated.

Sakura looked at him in disbelief. She hoped that he would tell her anything but the one thing in her mind.

"Didn't you all just arrive from the hunt in the woods this morning with father? Where is he, Uncle Jun?" she found her voice.

Jun didn't answer her question, yet he still looked at her sadly. He stepped aside so that the coffin carried by the soldiers came in view in front of her, and she felt numb.

"I'm sorry, Sakura…." Jun said.

"No, no… It can't be true. Uncle, please tell me that it's not true. You're lying, uncle. You're lying!" she cried hysterically. She didn't want to believe what was happening. She felt weak on her knees when the soldiers placed the coffin down.

"Sakura, don't-" Before Syaoran could stop her, she already got down on her knees and opened the coffin. She gasped in horror as she found her father lying dead.

Syaoran quickly caught her as she collapsed on the floor. She was not able to handle herself after she looked at her father's condition.

Fujitaka's body was covered in blood. His death was painful.

Syaoran could feel her body trembling as he hugged her. He could hardly believe the tragedy himself.

"It was the wolf, the biggest we have ever encountered. I haven't seen anything so wild before."

Sakura could barely hear Jun's explanation since she was too shocked to accept the fate.

"I'm sorry that we could not protect him. We managed to get rid of that thing, but it was too late," Jun continued.

Sakura wished that her heart would just stop. It hurt so much. It hurt so much to know that she had lost her father, the one who had loved her so dearly since the day she was born, and after her mother left her when she was a baby. And now God wanted to take him as well, he a father who loved her more than the life itself.

And the Kinomoto Kingdom was nothing without him. The people were lost for words as they watched one of their best Kings lying dead.

Syaoran saw his mother among the crowd that gathered. She was sobbing hard. She couldn't believe that the King had gone, the King who had given her and her son a new chapter of life.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. Flash back -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Young Syaoran swirled his sword and aimed it at the King, who blocked it expertly and returned the attack. Syaoran ducked and blocked the next attacks. He jumped as the King aimed his sword down, then moved his body sideway to escape the next move.

Both of them keep attacking and blocking each other's attempts in an incredibly quick speed.

Syaoran's sword was sent out of his hand as Fujitaka cornered him. He placed the side of his sword on Syaoran's neck and looked him in the eyes. He was telling that he got the upper hand, but it was a mistake. Syaoran saw an opportunity when he loosened his grip on the sword. He gripped his arm and turned the sword the opposite way. He used his strength to turn the King around and cornered him on the wall.

Fujitaka smiled.

"Well done, Syaoran. Keep looking for an opportunity to attack," Fujitaka said. He felt proud of him. "But your enemy wouldn't be as kind as I was. Another lesson for today is never to let your guard down," he continued. "Understand?"

"I understand, Your Highness," Syaoran answered.

"How old are you Syaoran?"

"11."

"I want you to battle with a group of my soldiers tomorrow. Show me what you have learned."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"And never underestimate your opponent. Watch how they fight, and learn how to tackle them," Fujitaka told. "Sometimes, your defeat will occur from something you really don't expect."

Syaoran nodded.

"And only when you are strong will you be able to protect my daughter."

They turned to look at Sakura, who was reading a book beside the fountain.

"Many people may want to hurt her in the future. I only want the best warrior for her," Fujitaka stated.

Syaoran watched as Sakura turned her eyes to their direction. She waved her hand and smiled sweetly.

And he knew from the start that he would protect her, even if nobody asked for it, even if the King didn't order him to.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. End of flashback -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Syaoran's eyes snapped open. He just had a dream. 'Old times', he thought. He promised that he was not going to let Fujitaka down, for he had put his faith in him as the warrior of the kingdom.

He was startled to find that Sakura wasn't on her bed. He had fallen asleep in her room, sitting beside her bed while watching her sleep. She had been unconscious after the sudden announcement of Fujitaka's death, and he had carried her back to her room.

"Sakura?" he called. He headed to the balcony. His heart raced when he didn't find her, but then he looked down over the balcony and saw her figure walking towards the fountain. He immediately hurried downstairs to catch her.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Sakura!"

She turned around when she heard her name called.

"What are you doing here in the middle of the night? It's cold. Let's get you inside," Syaoran said. He frowned when he touched her, "You're freezing." He quickly covered her with his coat.

"I can't sleep."

He looked at her only to find emptiness.

"I had nightmares in my sleep. And even in reality it is still haunting me. I don't even know in which one of them I am now," she said.

Syaoran hated to see her like this. He wished he could take all her pain away, but there's nothing he could do about it, and he cursed himself for it.

"I just want to disappear," she stated.

He was shocked hearing that.

"I want to disappear now!" She broke in tears.

"No, don't you dare say that." He pulled her in a hug as she cried.

No, he wouldn't allow her to say something like that, not a chance.

"He left me. He left me," she sobbed heartbrokenly. Her hands were on his back.

"He wouldn't want to see you like this, Sakura. Be strong," Syaoran said softly. "There's nothing to worry about. I am here with you."

"He also told me that he would be here with me! But now he's gone. You're lying, Syaoran! I hate you. I hate you!" She hit his chest. She was trying to break free, but Syaoran didn't let go.

"No, Sakura. Listen to me"

"No, I won't. I lost him. Oh God, I love him so much," she cried.

"And he loved you too. He wanted you to be happy," he said as she hugged him back.

"It hurts so much, Syaoran. It hurts." Syaoran closed his eyes hearing this. He couldn't bear knowing her in so much pain.

"I am here. Tell me what I should do, Sakura. Tell me." He tightened his hold as he said so.

Sakura whispered in her sobs, "Stay with me. Please." She looked up to see him. Her tears were streaming down her cheeks. "I've lost him. I don't know what I would do if I lost you too." She stared at him with broken eyes. "Will you do that for me?"

Syaoran stared at her, having heard every word she said.

The moon cast its light on her beautiful face. God, she was such a beauty even when she's crying.

"Syaoran, will you?" Sakura asked worriedly. Another sob began to break. Before she could open her mouth again, Syaoran brought her lips to his in a soft kiss.

"I'm here with you, and I will always be," he said. He looked her in the eyes, and she found truth. He then kissed her softly again and repeated, "I'm here, Sakura." He could taste her tears as he kissed her.

Sakura began to calm down and slowly returned the kiss.

None of them knew how long they stayed there as both of them were too lost in each other. Only the sound of water dripping from the fountain filled the night.

Little did they know that a pair of eyes was watching them from a far, with hatred. The person clenched his fist as he saw the two of them together. Anger rose in him.

'So far my plan has been a success, and I won't let those two foolish people ruin this. Now that the King is dead, I have to get rid of them as well.'

.

**Special thanks to LuluBells226**


	3. A Defiled Princess

Author's Note: Hey guys, thank you for all the comments. I'm sorry I have to keep some things for secret LOL :P. For those who asked whether it was SS first kiss, yup you're right, and stay tuned if you wanna see Eriol, Tomoyo and the others later (wink wink).

Anyways I hope you enjoy this story as much as I enjoy writing it. Please review to let me know what you think about it.

Disclaimer: I do not own CCS. I just own the plot.

**Chapter 3 – "A Defiled Princess"**

**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**.**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.**

After Fujitaka had died, Jun replaced his brother to rule the Kingdom. Sakura couldn't be the one to take the throne since no queen, nor princess, was allowed to rule an empire. It was a law used in all the kingdoms of their world.

Syaoran looked at Sakura with concern as she sat on her throne beside her uncle. Even though she tried to look strong, he knew that her heart still ached due to her father's tragic death.

The hall's attention turned toward the front door as it opened and revealed a man in his early thirties walking in with his people and soldiers following behind. The way he carried himself as he walked, as well as his attire, showed that he was someone of very high importance, and it was explained by the crown on his head.

"King Arthur of the Drake Bryton Empire," one of the soldiers announced (I know it's a lame name HAHAHA… Ok I'm ruining the story now, can't help it)

Jun straightened himself up and looked at the man in front of him. A smile touched his lips.

"Jun, it's been a while," the man addressed as King Arthur spoke and stepped forward toward the thrones. He greeted Jun like an old friend he had not met in a long time.

"Arthur," Jun smiled at his guest, looking very pleased. "It is my pleasure to have you here." He then turned to Sakura to introduce her, "Well, I am sure that you have heard about my niece, Sakura."

Arthur turned to Sakura and looked at her in a way that made her shudder. He had heard that the princess of Kinomoto Kingdom was beautiful, but he had never expected that she could be this beautiful. _'Such a_Goddess', he thought. He didn't regret what he had planned before coming here.

Syaoran, who was standing just behind her, didn't like the look he was giving her one bit. It was a look of hunger and lust.

"Yes, yes I am aware," Arthur said with mischievous smile. He turned to Jun again. "In fact, I'm afraid to say that it has something to do with my intention for coming here," he continued. Everyone was wondering now.

"And what is your intention coming here, my friend?" Jun asked although he could guess what it was. "What do you want from us?"

A smirk touched Arthur's lips before he said it out loud clearly, "Sakura." Gasps filled the room. He was taken back when he felt something cold and sharp touching his chin, and apparently, it was Syaoran aiming his sword at him. Syaoran clenched his sword. He felt the anger rising within him, jaw tightened. His piercing eyes looked at Arthur menacingly and told him to change his mind before he ripped him apart.

_'You wish.'_

Arthur's guards immediately stepped forward and pointed their swords at Syaoran. They thought that he was crazy to threaten their King.

"Syaoran," Jun warned but Syaoran didn't budge. He kept his eyes locked with Arthur's.

The King of Drake Bryton just smirked as he looked at the young, foolish man in front of him who dared to threaten him. He would make sure that this guy would pay for what he did. "I am here to propose for Sakura to marry me," he said, more like commanded. He turned to Sakura and gave her a wicked smile. She looked at him with horror.

**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**.**-. **Later that day **-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**.**-.**

"No, uncle! I will not marry him!" she stated firmly, ignoring the look her uncle gave her. They had been arguing in his room for quite some time now.

"Sakura, don't be selfish. Don't just think about yourself," Jun said.

"This is not about me! Uncle, don't you know what kind of person he is? I thought you knew him!" she defended herself. She couldn't believe that Jun would agree to such a silly proposal. "He's already had many mistresses in his places. Don't you get it, uncle? He's a womanizer!" Wow, such a word to be heard from such a conservative era.

"My dear, I never knew that you were into rumors," Jun sighed and shook his head.

"It's not rumors, uncle. It's the truth. I can see it just by the way he looked at me!" she wished he would understand. Her father would have understood..

"You're just making assumptions, Sakura. It's not a wise act for a princess like you."

"It would be a mistake if I were to marry him. By the time you realize that I'm right, it will be too late. I will have been just another dessert on his bed!" she cried, her hands slamming onto his desk.

"Watch your tone when you talk to me, Sakura."

"You forced me to!"

"This is for the sake of our kingdom, Sakura," Jun stated firmly. Sakura sighed in frustration. "Drake Bryton Empire has a great land and great people. It's a victorious Kingdom. If it unites with ours, our empire will be stronger than we have ever been. Don't you think about our kingdom, Sakura? About our people's welfare?" he tried to persuade her.

Sakura stared at him in disbelief, a hurt look in her eyes. "You plan to use me, uncle?" she whispered brokenly. "You're going to use me!" she cried.

"You are a selfish child," Jun replied as he got up from his chair. "I expected Fujitaka to have told you to grow up. You have to sacrifice to make your father proud, Sakura."

"I think my father wanted me to be happy," with that said, she turned on her heels and stormed out the door.

Jun sighed, watching the door close with a loud thump. _'Since when has she been this stubborn?'_his thoughts wandered to one guy and his fists shook with rage. _'Syaoran'._

**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**.**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**.**-.**

Sakura stormed through the hallway. She was totally angry with her uncle. How could he decide on something without considering her feelings? She could not imagine a life together with that beast Arthur. Just the thought of it made her shudder.

She stopped in her steps when she saw Syaoran in the yard with his friends playing a wrestling game. Some of the soldiers were laughing and drinking beers while they watched the match. She watched in awe when Syaoran ducked at his opponent's attack and quickly turned around to bring them down when his opponent ran for him. It happened so fast, yet seemed so easy for him.

She felt the heat rise in her face when she noticed his shirtless body, sweat on his oh-so-well-toned abs. He was so tall and well-built, and his unruly chestnut hair – how she wanted to run her hands through it. It didn't even make sense how she could like one man so little, yet like another so much.

'_No, no, Sakura. What are you thinking?'_she scolded herself. She slapped herself on the cheeks. She looked at him again and almost died from seeing him laugh. Yet, she frowned at how happy he was in spite of herself being engaged.

Suddenly she saw one girl, one of the maids who serves beers, come up to him with some compliment, and touched his chest. She was flirting with him.

'_No, he did not just let her touch his chest',_Sakura fumed again as she stomped to where Syaoran was.

"Syaoran!" Sakura called when she approached him. The crowd automatically stood up as they saw her coming. "You, go find something to clean. You can start from my room," she ordered the flirty maid. She never thought that she could be that mean to somebody.

The maid gave her a 'haters' look and walked off. Syaoran looked at Sakura strangely.

"What's the matter?" Without an answer, Sakura walked off, leaving him no choice but to follow her. The crowd just stared open-mouthed at the princess stealing her warrior.

**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**.**-.**

"Sakura, where are we going? Sakura," Syaoran called as they kept walking, but received no answer. It was when he caught her hand that Sakura snapped back to reality. "Sakura."

She stopped, realizing that they were heading toward nowhere in particular. She turned around to face him, "Oh, I'm sorry," she looked puzzled.

Syaoran looked at her with concern. He held her shoulder, "Are you okay?" he asked.

She just nodded, answering his question. Syaoran was sure that she had been bothered by the proposal earlier in the afternoon. Little did she know that it had driven him crazy as well. That's why he had let himself be occupied in that game.

"Come," he dragged her to go have something to eat first, they could handle this matter later.

Sakura didn't move though and pulled his arm. His breath caught as he felt her soft hand touching his bare skin. "Your room, please?" she begged. She looked him in the eyes as if she didn't want to go anywhere but there.

Syaoran looked at her and wondered what was going on. "Okay," he answered.

**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**.**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**.**-.**

Syaoran moved his stuff off of the sofa when they entered his room. He looked back when he heard Sakura closing the door behind herself. He stared at her for a while as if saying, _'I thought you were going to leave the door open',_but kept that thought to himself. He had always left the door open if it was only him and Sakura in the room. He would not forgive himself if he lost control around her.

"Uncle Jun wants me to marry King Arthur," she said suddenly. He was surprised.

He didn't know what to say. He just stood there and waited for her to say more. Hearing nothing, he said, "And?"

"And!" she suddenly snapped. She couldn't believe that was his response.

Syaoran looked at her, "Well, do you want to marry him?" he asked.

"Do I want to marry him?" she repeated the question in disbelief. "No!" she answered.

Syaoran felt a sudden relief. It was as if the pressure on him had been lifted. He thanked God because he wouldn't allow Sakura to marry such a jerk. Heck, he didn't know if he could bear seeing her with anyone else.

"Do you want me to marry him?" came a silly question from her mouth.

"I didn't say that," Syaoran said. He was surprised by her words. He wondered what had gotten into her; she seldom acted this way.

"But you sounded like it was okay if I marry him," she said brokenly, and he was startled to see tears in her eyes. Sakura's mind was full of rapid thoughts, _'No, why am I doing this? I don't want to lose him because of the things I said. Why am I becoming so emotional? I think I'm going to have my period soon. I'm PMS-ing!'_

Syaoran was again at a lack for words. He wanted to say that she shouldn't marry anyone, that he wanted her for himself only. However, he couldn't say that! The words were caught in his throat.

She was waiting for his response, but he could only say, "I just want what's best for you, Sakura," with that said, he turned his back to her, and this broke her heart. _'No, what the hell am I doing? I don't want her to go',_his mind screamed.

Silence filled the room for a while. Hearing no further response, Syaoran turned around and his eyes widened. He saw Sakura stripped and standing there, bare naked.

"What—"

"Syaoran." She walked a few steps toward him, giving him a goddamn view of her flawless body and porcelain skin.

"Saku—"

"Love me," she said, her emerald eyes glistening with tears. "Love me, and I will not marry him," she whispered.

Syaoran froze. He just stood there, her body a few steps away.

"Sakura, don't do this to me," he hissed.

"But why?" she cried. "Why?"

Syaoran's fists clenched at his side. He couldn't, and she was making this hard for him.

"Why did you kiss me?" were the next words that left her lips. He was shocked, "How could you say that it was nothing?" she felt her heart ache.

"I didn't say that!" Syaoran raised his voice, starting to lose his temper. Sometimes Sakura thought he was suitable to be a king; it seemed so easy for him to make people cower when he raised his voice.

"Then why are you making me feel this way? You irresponsible—" her words were cut by her sobs. (Oh my, I think she was indeed PMS-ing. Gasp) "I really like you, Syaoran. I like you so much. I want to be with you only and not with some other man." He stared at her. "Why did you kiss me?" she looked down and wiped away her tears.

"Because I wanted to!" he suddenly snapped. Sakura was shocked as she looked up to him and saw his face hardened. "Because I wanted to kiss you so badly and because I have this feeling every time I see you. I want you for myself, I would probably kill the man you marry" he snapped. Sakura was startled to see him becoming emotional. She had never seen this side of him before. "Because I wanted to," with that said, he captured her lips in a fierce kiss.

Sakura yelped in surprise when he held her body with his arms, her legs wrapped around his. They felt an incredible sensation from the skin-to-skin contact when their bare chests pressed against each other.

She moaned softly when he parted her lips with his tongue, both of them lost in each other's sweetness. They broke apart for air and his eyes looked into hers before he pushed her onto the bed with him on top of her.

He kissed her lips hungrily, locking her hands above her head with his hands. He then gently pressed his lips to her cheek, chin, continuing until he reached her neck. He began sucking it, earning a moan from her, and gasps from the feeling of his touch on her body. She had never felt this way before. It was amazing how his touch could make such an impact on her body.

They felt the temperature of the room begin to rise as they lost themselves in each other's warmth. Syaoran was about to continue torturing her until he realized that her body was trembling from the new sensations consuming her.

He suddenly pulled back and moved off of the bed. He couldn't forgive himself for what he had been trying to do. He looked at her naked form on the bed, her hair messy as she tried to sit up. He cursed himself as he looked at what he had done to her.

"What's the matter?" Sakura asked. She wanted to know why he had stopped.

"Is this what you want, Sakura?" His voice was cold. "Is this what you want me to do?" he bit out.

"What's wrong?" she asked, wondering what had happened. She was more than sure that he was enjoying it. He wanted her.

"Stay back" he ordered when she tried to approach him. He walked over to pick up her dress and threw it onto the bed. He then turned his back to her and said without even looking at her, "Get dressed and leave." Sakura looked at him in disbelief. "Now."

"Why? Don't you want me?"

'_I want you so bad'._"No," he lied.

"Then you'll just throw me into the arms of the man who wants to marry me?" she cried.

Syaoran turned around at hearing this and snapped, "If I don't even allow myself to touch you, what makes you think that I will allow other man to do so!" he wondered why she couldn't understand.

Sakura didn't know what to say. "Do you love me?" was the question that left her mouth instead.

He didn't answer. "Do you even need proof for that?" he sighed as he looked at her questioning face. He turned his back again at her and stared outside the window.

As the sun cast its ray upon him through the glass, it was then that she noticed the permanent scar lying so evidently on his skin. She felt tears on her eyes again, remembering how he had danced with death just to protect her.

"I understand," she said softly before getting dressed. Syaoran could hear her walking off, a soft sob escaping her lips when she closed the door behind herself.

'_I love you the way you are, and I don't want you to change'._He wished she could understand just how much he loved her. He loved her innocence and purity, so much so that he wouldn't allow even himself to defile it. He walked over to the bed and sat down. _'Oh God',_he inhaled deeply and sighed, her sweet scent still lingered in his room.

**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**.**-. **Later at night **-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**.**-.**

Sakura sat in front of the mirror combing her hair. She looked at her reflection and slowly touched her lips. She could still feel the warmth and taste of Syaoran's lips on hers. The yearning inside her body awakened as she thought of him.

She knew that she was acting so childish earlier. She only hoped that he wouldn't think of her as an emotional teenager. _'Well, maybe I am',_she scolded herself. She buried her face in her hands, feeling ashamed. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't realize when the door opened.

"What's bothering you, beautiful?" an unfamiliar voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She jumped when she saw Arthur's reflection in the mirror.

"You!" She turned around only to see his smirking face. "How dare you come to my room without even knocking!" She reached for her sword but Arthur grabbed her.

"Well, well, soon we'll be sharing the same room, won't we?" he whispered on her neck, sending shivers down her spine.

"Let go of me, or I'll call my guards!" she warned. She tried to break free when he grabbed both of her hands and locked her legs with his. _'No, he's too strong'._

He laughed from hearing her statement. "They won't hear you, my dear. I just got rid of them," he smirked again (He smirks a lot). She stared at him in disbelief.

"What do you want from me?" she bit out.

Arthur smirked (See? Told ya) and said, "What I want is simple, my dear. I want you. _All of you_." His voice became firmer as he said the last sentence. Sakura shuddered from hearing that. His eyes were looking into hers with lust.

"If you dare do something to me, my uncle will know, and he'll put you in jail!" she tried to threaten him, but it was no use. Instead, he looked at her with pity.

"You really don't know anything, do you?" he said, and she wondered. "This was included in my plan, and my plans never fail."

"What—" her sentence was cut short when he covered her mouth in a handkerchief. Her eyes widened, and within seconds she was unconscious and collapsing to the floor.

Arthur looked at her figure lying helplessly on the floor and smirked. "Now, shall we enjoy our private quality time? My dear, dear cherry blossom."

**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**.**-. **Syaoran **-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**.**-.**

"Come in," he said when he heard a knock on his door. It opened revealing Yelen, who brought him a tray of food. "Mother, thank you," he said. She placed the tray on the table.

"You've been studying, my son?" she asked. She noticed him writing something on the map on his desk.

"Just some strategies for invasion," he explained. He stared at it for a while and then turned to look at her. "I want to be stronger, mother."

Yelen smiled, "For Sakura?" He didn't answer, but she saw determination in his amber eyes. "You've been working hard, my son. I, and her father, are very proud of you," she smiled sadly, thinking of their beloved King.

"But it's not enough," he said, and she frowned. "I can't make her happy."

Yelen sighed. She knew that this was going to happen. "This is our fault," she suddenly admitted, and he was surprised.

"What do you mean, mother?"

"The King and I knew that you were too close to each other since you were both kids, and we knew that later in time you might develop deep feelings for her, and she for you. I just don't want you to get hurt." For the first time in his life, Syaoran saw his mother worried about his feelings, and it reminded him that he was just a regular person with weaknesses, and his weakness was Sakura.

"No, mother. She is my strength. I am strong, and I am what I am now because of you and her," he stated, bringing tears to her eyes. He hugged her, and she smiled proudly.

"Then what's bothering you, my son?" she asked.

Syaoran looked away and sighed, "I was too harsh on her. She cried, as usual, because I cared about her too much." He shrugged his shoulders.

"Women are sometimes very complicated," she said, and he laughed. She looked at him in the eyes and said, "Just go see her and apologize." She didn't want to see her son being bothered anymore.

"I will, mother," Syaoran said. He kissed her forehead, got up from his chair, and walked to the door. He couldn't wait to see Sakura's smile again.

Yelen sighed as she watched her son go.

**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**.**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**.**-.**

Syaoran walked through the corridor leading to Sakura's room but halted suddenly when he saw Arthur coming out of her room. The King of Drake Bryton Empire fixed his shirt collar and continued to walk. Syaoran froze at that, a horrible feeling stirring inside him as he continued walking, despite a voice inside him telling him not to proceed further.

"Sakura?" Hearing no answer, he went through the already opened door and stepped into the room.

His heart raced, pulse quickening. He walked slowly toward her bed, and it seemed like his world had stopped when he saw her clothes and underwear scattered all over the place.

He found her sitting on the bed, arms on her knees, and the sheet covering her lower body while she was naked. A red rose was in her hand and she smelled it.

She felt his presence and looked up, only to find him staring at her in shock.

"You…you," Syaoran could barely find his voice. He felt his heart break, a betrayed look in his eyes.

Sakura's body started to shake. She didn't know that to say to him.

"No, Syaoran, it's not what you think!"

**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**.**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**.**-.**

Thanks to: kurukurupa, Aizawa Li Syaoran Vessalius, yingfa07, Razux, lhaine07, redeyes143, EndlessSugar, Ayr

**Special Thanks to acegirl195**


	4. Goodbye, My Love

**Chapter 4 – "Goodbye, My Love"**

**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**.**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.**

Sakura's eyes became teary as she looked desperately at the only man she'd ever loved. "Please believe me, Syaoran. I didn't—"

"Do you think its fine for you to be touched by any man, Sakura?" Syaoran hissed. Never in her life had she heard Syaoran sound so hurt, like someone had just ripped his heart apart.

"I can't believe you would say that!" she cried. Tears started to stream down her cheeks. "You know me, I would never—"

"You are not Sakura, at least not the one I know," Syaoran said those words, and her heart broke into pieces. "She would never throw herself to any man, let alone a man like him!" he roared.

"I would never throw myself to any man but you!" Sakura said. His words wrenched at her heart. Here she was in pain, being accused of doing something she would never want to do.

"You betrayed me," It was barely a whisper that left his mouth, his voice shaking. He wished she would just kill him rather than making him see her like this.

Her body trembled when she heard that. She didn't know how to explain it to him when she didn'teven know what had happened. All she remembered was Arthur cornering her in front of the mirror, and the next thing she knew she woke up on her bed naked. She didn't want to believe that Arthur had taken advantage of her. Her heart told her that he hadn't managed to do that.

There was a loud bang before Syaoran could hear her response. The door opened and soldiers ambushed the room, followed by Jun and Arthur. They all looked at the mess before them, and their princess lying on the bed naked in front of her warrior.

One of the soldiers held up his crossbow and fired it at Syaoran. It pierced the right of his stomach, causing a painful scream to fill the room.

"No!" Sakura screamed as she saw Syaoran fall to the floor. "No, Syaoran!" She bent down beside him, only to find him wincing in extreme pain, and blood on his stomach. "Hold on," she cried and hugged him. "What have you done?" she yelled at the people in the room, wondering why they had done that.

"We had a witness report that Syaoran was trying to rape you," Jun answered. "We will take him, and he will be sentenced to death," he continued, and her heart almost stopped.

"N-no, uncle," came her shaky response. "No, uncle,It's not like that." It was all a trap, and she knew it.

"Then would you explain to me what occurred here, Sakura? Don't you think we have enough proof?" Jun said matter-of-factly. He looked Sakura in the eyes and continued, "Even though you love him, he has no right to do such a thing to you. He's just a filthy boy from a poor village. All that we've given him has made him blind. He has disobeyed and betrayed us, and this kingdom, and he shall die." His voice was cold.

The soldiers in the room couldn't believe that Syaoran would have done that, he had always been a faithful and loyal warrior to the kingdom. However, they knew his yearning for Sakura had destroyed him.

"Tie him up, and burn him at the north of the castle, so that everybody can see what will become of them should they betray this kingdom," Jun commanded.

"No!" Sakura held onto him when the soldiers took Syaoran from her. They dragged him out the door;they would do what they had been told to do; kill him. She ran after them, but the other soldiers blocked her way. She could not believe that they had taken him away from her forever..

Arthur could not hold back his wicked smile as he saw what happened right before his eyes. Everything just went so beautifully and according to plan. Sakura sensed this, and stormed toward his direction. "It was you, you-" she cried, eyes filled with hatred and tears. "You're such a filthy person, you bastard!" Never in her life had she said such words to a person.

Arthur just laughed from hearing that. He caught her hand as she tried to hurt him. "Calm down, my dear. We still have some things to settle, cherry blossom. For both of us." He smirked in victory.

**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**.**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.**

People in the hall gasped when they saw the soldiers dragging Syaoran by his feet out of the castle. Yelen, who was amongst the people, rose up and yelled frantically, "Wait! What is happening?" She ran to catch up with them. "What are you doing to Xiao Lang!?"

"Get away, Ma'am. This is an order from King Jun. Your son has committed a sin, and he has to pay for it with his life," one of the soldiers spoke, and blocked her way.

"If you want to kill him, then you'll have to kill me first!" Yelen cried, trying to break away. "Xiao Lang! No! You will not take away my son!" she stated. People in the hall shook their heads in shame as they watched the scene.

"Aunt Yelen," She felt someone's hand on her arm as she began to lose her energy. She looked up, only to find Takashi looking at her with worry. She watched the soldiers passing through the doorway out of the castle, gone with her only son being dragged like an animal; wounded and hopeless. She crashed onto the floor and sobbed hard.

She looked up at Takashi hopelessly, "Please…Syaoran.." were the only words that left her mouth before she went unconscious.

Syaoran felt his body being dragged outside the castle. The ground made harsh contact with his head and the back part of his body. He had lost so much blood, but tried his best to keep conscious. He felt an incredible pain on his wounded stomach, just as painful as his heart.

He never thought that he would die this way. He thought that he would die protecting Sakura; it was the best way he could have ever have thought of. Dying in her arms wouldn't be so bad either though.

Not this way though, not when he was afraid that she would still be in danger. Not when he had accused her of betraying him without even trying to listen to her.

They stopped and put Syaoran aside. Some soldiers prepared the equipments to tie him on the pole they always used for traitors. Some of the others gathered branches to make the fire. No, he would not die here like all the traitors had. He could hear his thoughts trying to snap him back into the reality.

"Whew, that went quite well," He could hear one of the soldiers speaking in a low voice to another so that they wouldn't be heard. "Once this is finished, we can take what belongs to us just like the deal. With that much of money, we'll never have to work again for the rest of our lives. The king promised."

Syaoran's eyes slowly opened as he heard this. '_What? The King? Which King?_'

"Yeah man, I can't wait to get this over with. I've never like this place ever since King Arthur put us here a year ago," the other one said. "And it's all been for today; the big day." He smirked.

"That foolish Jun believed what I'd said about that stupid warrior and his niece before we went to her room. He must've hated that warrior a lot," he laughed evilly.

"Yeah, you nailed your part as the witness, man. King Arthur must have been yearning for the princess for a long time, seeing as he made this plan more than a year ago. No wonder, she's delicious. If it wasn't for the money, I would've betrayed him, and tasted her for myself." They both laughed. Syaoran clenched his teeth at hearing this, his fists shaking with rage.

'_How dare you'_

"Too bad for him that he didn't manage to use her yet. That stupid warrior came too early, but he was still stupid enough that it was easy for him to be manipulated."

Now Syaoran really did feel stupid. Seeing Sakura in such a condition had made him completely lose his mind. He hadn't even bothered to think that it was a trap. He cursed at himself, hedidn't know if she would forgive him or not. He must have hurt her badly with his words.

One thing was for sure; he would not forgive them. He would not show them any mercy for trying to take advantage of her, or trying to hurt her. They had to pay for all the tears she had shed.

"But now all the folks he wished to get rid of are gone. Damn, I envy—" before the soldier could finish his words, Syaoran already snapped his neck from behind with extreme force. He fell to the ground; dead.

His friend drew out a sword and aimed it at Syaoran who expertly pushed the sword down with his palm, kicking it out of the soldier's hand, and catching it with his own. He slashed the soldier without mercy and sent him to the ground.

By then around 20 other soldiers had already come, and all drew out their swords to attack Syaoran. They were all true soldiers just trying to do their duty, and were not involved in the plan. If he had to fight them, he would have to spill innocent blood. They were his friends. At least, they used to be.

"Listen to me, guys," Syaoran said. "We don't have to do this. This is all a trap."

"Knock it off, Syao," one of them said. "I always knew it, the way you stared at the princess. How dare you try to take advantage of her, and we all witnessed it tonight."

"You've been fooled!"

"Shut up!" They went at him, leaving him no choice but to battle with them. He blocked their attacks one by one, and tried to cause the minimal amount of wounds possible to their flesh. That way he wouldn't have to kill them.

He was outnumbered, and he knew it. Fujitaka hadn't given him the title of warrior for nothing though. He could take them down with just one sword, and they knew it, but they had the upper hand because he was wounded.

Syaoran ducked when one of the soldiers attacked him with their sword. They went mad when they realized that Syaoran already had half of them down by then. "Arrggh!" one of them screamed in pain when Syaoran managed to stab him on the shoulder, and sent him down.

Syaoran turned around to block another attack. He sent the opponent's sword out of their grip and onto the ground, but then felt another soldier approaching from behind. He quickly turned around again to block another sword with his own, but a pair of arms grabbed him from behind. One arm throttled him on the neck, and the other, to his horror, circled around his wounded stomach. He groaned as the pain struck him.

He almost lost his balance as he struggled to break free from the arms holding him from behind, his sword still blocking another opponent's sword in front of his face. He was aware that the fight had dragged them further from where they had started, and that they were heading toward the cliff.

Syaoran kicked the soldier in front of him in the stomach with his knee. The soldier groaned in pain before Syaoran pushed his sword forward and slashed him on the neck. The soldier behind him was furious at seeing his friend defeated. He tightened his throttle on Syaoran's neck and knocked the air out of his lungs.

Syaoran was dying for air. He loosened his grip on his sword, and it fell to the ground. He moved his hands to release the arm around his neck. The two of them struggled hard as they reached closer to the edge of the cliff.

**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**.**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.**

Takashi ran to the area where they should have burned Syaoran alive,only to see that all the soldiers were down and on the ground. "Syaoran!" he ran again to search for him. His eyes widened when he saw him struggling with another soldier at the edge of the cliff. "Oh, shit."

Before he could reach them, he saw it; the two of them falling off the edge of the cliff.

He ran to the edge of the cliff and looked down, but he didn't find them. Below the cliff was a flowing river, and a dangerous one at that. No one could have survived it, especially having fallen from such a high cliff.

Takashi could not believe that he had just lost his cousin. "No…"

**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**.**-.**In the morning.**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**.**-**

Sakura's sob filled the room; she had not stopped crying since last night. Her thoughts wandered to Syaoran, and how she wished that they hadn't killed him. She had been locked in her room with no way out, and she had not heard any news about him. '_God, I would not be able to live if something happened to him_.'

She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard someone knocking on her door. "Who is it?" she yelled, but what came out was a broken whisper instead. She had lost her voice from screaming all night for somebody to open her door.

"Sakura, it's me," It was Takashi's voice. He went silent as if he was hesitant to talk. "I have news to tell you."

Sakura hurried to her door, which was then opened from the outside. She was about to ask about Syaoran, but froze when she saw the look on his face.

"Tak?" she whispered brokenly. Her emerald eyes glistened with tears.

Takashi looked at her with sad eyes, and then shook his head, "I'm sorry, Sakura."

Sakura looked at him in disbelief, and he knew that he had just broken her heart to pieces. She was broken. No one would ever see Sakura anymore, she would not be the same person without Syaoran. She had died when he did.

"No, Tak! He promised me that he would never leave me!" she cried in denial. She tried to get past him and out of the room, "Let me see him. Let me see him! You lied to me, you lied!" She tried to break free as Takashi held her. A few servants came to the room worriedly.

"Hush, Sakura. Be strong, Sakura. Be strong," Takashi tried to calm her, but he knew that it was no use.

He also knew that Syaoran would hate to see her like this. The last thing Syaoran wanted was to see her crying. '_I'm sorry, Syao..'_ He blamed himself for not being able to do anything. He couldn't have prevented this from happening, he was useless.

**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**.** -**Flashback **-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**.**-**

The sun cast its rays upon the green grass surrounding the lake. A small 8 years old girl sat with her flowers near the water. As usual, she made a necklace of colorful flowers, anda smile touched her lips when she finally finished.

"Syaoran!" She turned when a boy walked in her direction, and waved happily at him. The boy smiled when he saw her laughing. He bent down next to her, and she said, "This is for you," as she put the necklace around his neck.

Syaoran let out a little laugh, "Thank you, princess." He was glad that Sakura had already fully recovered from her trauma.

Sakura giggled, her cheeks turning crimson when she heard him. She was also glad that Syaoran had already recovered from the wolf's attack.

"I have something for you too," he confessed, and she wondered.

He held out a bunch of white flowers shaped into a tiara. Sakura gasped at the beautiful thing, and looked at him in awe, "It's beautiful."

Carefully, he placed the tiara on her head. They looked at each other, and Sakura smiled, causing his heart beat to double. He then touched her shoulder and leaned forward to kiss her forehead.

Sakura closed her eyes. She felt a strange emotion stirring inside her heart that she'd never felt before. She opened her eyes slowly and looked at him happily, "Thank you, Syaoran."

Before Syaoran could respond, she placed a kiss on his cheek, and startled him. She laughed at seeing his shocked expression. Her laughter filled his ears like a melody, and looking at her smile made him feel like nothing else mattered in the world.

At that moment, he promised himself that he wanted to make her happy, to always protect her, and prevent anything that could make her lose that smile.

The picture faded and came back to reveal the same scenery; green grass, the lake as breathtakingly beautiful as ever, and clear as glass. The only difference was the sky; it was twilight.

A grown up Syaoran lay on the grass, his palm at the back of his head. He closed his eyes when he felt the soft breeze against his skin.

"Syaoran," the angelic voice called him. He sat up and turned around. "Were you sleeping?" Sakura asked.

"No," he answered. She walked closer and sat down beside him. "How did you know I was here?"

"Tak told me," she answered simply.

"How was practice with your father?"

Sakura let out a long sigh, "It was tiring. Father clearly didn't want to let me win so easily," she told, and earned a little laugh from him. She quickly turned to him and said, "Don't laugh. It's almost impossible for me to beat the King when it comes to battling with swords. Everyone knows that," she complained. She actually enjoyed practicing with her father. It was just very tiring. She didn't know how Syaoran coped since he was very young. How hard her father trained her was nothing compared to how he trained Syaoran. The way the King had trained him was extremely hard. Syaoran had lost major parts of his life. He had lost moments being young; instead he grew up training, and battling every single day. Her father had once told her that if it hadn't been Syaoran, no one else would have survived. Anyone else would have died mentally and physically.

That was the reason why most of the people in the kingdom thought that Syaoran's capability was one of a king's, even more so than her own father's.

"Your father wants you to be able to protect yourself from people who would want to harm you," Syaoran said. "But one should know that they have to get through me first," he continued.

Sakura looked at him. Her mood brightened hearing those words, "That means they have to try extra hard to harm me," she said.

Syaoran laughed at her naïve statement, but said seriously, "Not a chance." He found her delighted expression and added, "But that's no excuse for you to escape from your father's training," he warned. Sakura pouted at that, but it always turned out cute.

"Hmph," was her response, and then she said, "Okay, okay. I understand. Anyways, this isn't a tutoring time. I've had enough from my father. Now, it's time to sleep," she said it out of nowhere. Smiling very sweetly, she softly touched the back of his head and put his head on her shoulder. "Come sleep now. I know you were trying to sleep just now."

As his face was placed on her neck, he lost himself in her sweetness, her lingering scent consuming him.

Seeing that there was no reaction from him, she thought that he was indeed tired and sleepy. She let him move his head onto her lap, and stroked his hair gently. "Go to sleep, my warrior," she said softly. She had no idea that her touch could affect him so much, and that in spite of how strong he was; he had no power against her.

Syaoran wished he could be in her sweet torture forever. He slowly laid his back down on the ground with his head was on her lap. He felt so peaceful there with her, and soon he was asleep.

Little did he know that she smiled as she watched him sleep, before lowering her head down to give him a soft kiss on the lips.

**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**.**-**

Syaoran breathed out, a soft cough left his lips as water came pouring out of his mouth. He was lying at the edge of the river as the sun tickled his eyes with its rays cast upon his face.

Had he escaped death? The last thing in his mind was the memory when he and Sakura spent time together near the lake, both young and older.

The last thing he felt was her kiss on his lips, which had indeed brought him back into life.

God he missed her. He hadn't been apart from her since they were kids, and now he had to face the reality of being far from her, and not knowing whether she was safe or not.

The wounds on his body started to torture him again. The pain welcomed him back to the chance of death. No, he couldn't die. Not when she was calling him.

**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**.** -**Sakura **-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**.**-**

Staring into the mirror,she looked like nothing other than a dying girl. There was no life in her eyes, just emptiness. The people she loved had been taken from her one by one. The first one was her mother, then her father, and now Syaoran.

She didn't know why she was still here.

There was the sound of footsteps outside of her room, and a few moments later the door opened to reveal her uncle and Arthur.

"You killed him! You killed him!" she yelled at them as they both came in to check her condition. She stormed over to where they were, but the soldiers blocked her way. "No, let go of me!" She struggled to break free when the soldiers held her arms.

"He had to pay for what he did," Jun said coldly.

"He didn't do anything."

"Yes, he did," he repeated in a firm tone. "That low, ungrateful boy," his voice was full of hatred.

Sakura stared at him, "Why?" She shook her head in disbelief. "Why do you hate him so much? What has he done to you to make your heart so cold?"

Jun clenched his teeth in anger. His fists shook with rage as he remembered those times. "Why? You ask me why, Sakura? Why I hate him so much?" He glared at her. "Why is it that people have to love him? Why did the King have to stop when he found a poor, filthy boy on the street?" he raised his voice. "I have worked my entire life to catch up with your father, and to give what your father has to this kingdom. But apparently the King was too busy with how his warrior was able to catch a deer," He stepped forward, "How his warrior was able to win at horse racing." He came closer to her again, "How his warrior was able to use his new sword," he put on a disgusted face, and then continued to say very slowly and clearly, "And how his warrior was able to defeat a soldier." He finally came face to face with her, "Little did he know that his warrior had been planning to take advantage of his daughter, to _steal _his throne."

"You have no right to accuse him of anything!" Sakura snapped. She looked at him in anger, "You have been blinded by power." Hearing those words, Jun rose his hand up and slapped her hard on the face. She collapsed to the floor, and before she could get up, he had already gripped her arm.

"What did you say?" Jun threatened her. He held her chin up so she could look him in the eyes, yet he saw no fear. He dragged her to face the mirror, still holding her chin. "Look at yourself," Sakura tried to hold the pain back when his hand throttled her neck. "What does the little princess know about herself? Do you think that you are so pure, so innocent?" he asked sarcastically. "You are the one to blame, my dear, not me." Her heart sank from hearing this. "Poor little Syaoran couldn't resist you from your very first encounter. He sacrificed himself to a wolf, his youth gone just to become a warrior. He was blinded by you. He might have had power as a man, but he did not have power against you, he died in sin."

Tears started to fill her eyes from every word stabbing at her soul. She could not deny that she had made him suffer, and that she was the cause of his death. He could have had another life, a normal life all this time if it was not for her.

Jun finally let her go of his grip, and she gasped for air as she was able to freely breathe again. Panting, she watched as her uncle left her room with the soldiers following behind. She could not believe that her uncle could be so mean to her. They were supposed to be family: Jun, Fujitaka and her.

Arthur walked to her, and watched as a tear made its way down her cheek. He touched her cheek gently to wipe it off.

Sakura did not have enough energy to push him away. In fact, it was as if she couldn't continue to live her life.

She had caused his death. Those thoughts haunted her, and caused her to scream out his name in her heart a thousand times. Yet, it was not enough to bring him back.

"So beautiful and so fair," Arthur touched her cheek, and took in all of her beauty. He looked into her sad eyes, "Yet, so broken," he whispered in a low voice. Slowly, with all the lust he had for her, he whispered in her ear, "Be mine, and I shall make you my queen. Come with me, and you will forget about him for the rest of your life. I can offer you more than he ever could have offered you, and I can give you more than he could have," he stopped and breathed for a while. "Marry me."

She just stayed silent. She couldn't hear anything, think of anything, nor see anything anymore.

He pulled out a ring, one which could make a person trade their life for. He held her hand and put the ring on her finger without even asking for her permission, then kissed her finger. He looked up to see her face, only to see her crying. He knew that the tears were not for him, but for another man.

.

**AN: Special thanks to acegirl195 **


	5. The Bride

**The Warrior - Chapter 5: "The Bride"**

**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**.**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.**

A young man sat on the edge of a river. Humming happily, he threw his fishing pole into the water. "Ah, what a nice day," he ran his fingers through his midnight blue hair, enjoying the cool breeze on his skin. It was already past noon, and he couldn't wait to see his wife again at home. "C'mon, fish. I have to bring you home so Tomoyo can cook you," he mumbled to himself.

He looked up at the clear blue sky and smiled before shifting his look back to the water where something upstream caught his eyes. "What the..," his eyes widened when he saw a human body lying helplessly on the ground, their feet barely touching the water. He immediately threw his fishing pole aside and ran to it. _'A soldier,'_ he concluded when he bent down to check the body's condition. It was full of wounds, especially on the right side of the stomach, which he assumed had been stabbed by a weapon.

He could still feel a pulse when he pressed his fingers to their neck. _'Thank God,'_ he sighed in relief although the pulse was very weak. If he had found the body about a few hours later, they would have been dead. Without thinking much further, he decided to lift the body up and carry, but fell down instead when he tried to drag it along. "Oh, c'mon man."

**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**.**-.- **Kinomoto Kingdom **-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**.**-.-**

There stood the princess, her smile lost when she lost her warrior, her white wedding dress flowed gracefully on her body as her servants prepared her as a bride. Each of them was tasked to make her look perfect. Her hair, her skin, her body, and her wedding dress were beyond the dreams of every woman of the era. Yet her eyes were empty, like there was no soul in them.

She stared at the mirror, looking at the poor girl with no power to live her own life. She was just like a doll being played. She would rather die than marry Arthur and live in the kingdom that had killed Syaoran.

Yet, she was still there. What was she doing there? She didn't even have a life to fight for. Was she that fragile?

"Get off of me!" She pushed away when one of her servants tried to wipe a tear that had already made its way down her cheek without her even realizing it. "I said, get off me, all of you!" She struggled to break away when her servants tried to calm her down.

"No, he didn't kill my son! Xiao Lang is not dead. He couldn't just die, he couldn't..," She could hear someone screaming outside the room. It was Yelen. "Give me back my son. My son! He is my only son.." The voice became shaky, followed by sobs. "Let me see King Jun. I have to speak to him!"

"A-aunt Yelen. Aunt Yelen!" Sakura stormed toward the door, and there in the hallway stood Yelen with some guards blocking her way to the entrance of the king's bedroom. It used to be her father's, but now it was her uncle's. "Aunt Yelen..." She collapsed and cried when Yelen hugged her.

"Oh, my dear princess..," Yelen felt Sakura's tears on her neck. Sakura looked up at her with broken emerald eyes. "What happened to you? What have they done to you?" Yelen asked and looked with disbelief at Sakura's wedding dress. Sakura just shook her head in denial.

"Aunt Yelen... Syaoran..."

"He's dead," came a cold voice when the door to the king's bedroom opened. "Even if the two of you deny it," Jun continued.

"I will not believe what you said until I see it with my own eyes. My son," Yelen stated firmly, anger in her eyes for what he had tried to do to Syaoran. "You are a bastard. Give me back my son." How she wished she could just kill him. Even if he was Fujitaka's brother, they were so different.

Jun just laughed from hearing her statement and hissed, "You and your son are no more than dirt in this castle. My brother had indeed made a terrible mistake of putting you here," he told her in disgust and continued, "Now that your filthy son is gone, there is no reason for you to be here anymore. Get rid of her now," he ordered the guards.

"No, uncle-" Sakura tried to fight for her before a slap landed on her cheek.

"Now, will you do something useful for this kingdom, Sakura? Do not make me ashamed," he told her coldly as she touched her swollen cheek and tried to hold back the pain. "The ceremony will take place tonight. So you better get ready. There is no better candidate who can offer something to this kingdom like he can."

"Let go of me!" Yelen struggled to break free when the guards dragged her along the hallway. They would throw her out of the castle. "Sakura, don't do it, my dear," were her last words, still trying to do what was right. She knew that her son would really die if Sakura were to ruin her life with a beast like Arthur who only wanted to take advantage of her.

"No, Aunt Yelen!" Sakura cried out as she was dragged back to her room by other guards.

**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**.**-.-** Tomoyo **-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**.**-.-**

She was in the kitchen preparing dinner and singing her favorite song. Her hands were busy chopping all the vegetables she had collected earlier today. Her thoughts wandered to her husband, a smile on her lips when she imagined his happy face when he gets home.

She heard a knock on the door and hurriedly went to welcome her husband. "Here comes the fish!" she said excitedly.

When the door opened, she almost fell back as her husband came in abruptly, dragging a stranger. "Eriol! What happened?" she panicked and gasped when she looked at the wounds on the soldier's body. "Oh, honey.."

"Found him at the river. He needs immediate treatment," Eriol barely spoke, still catching his breath. It was one hell of a journey dragging the man to his house. He then quickly went into the bedroom and placed the person on their bed. "It's a miracle that he's still alive."

"Seems like he's not from here," Tomoyo said. She was positive that she had never seen the soldier's uniform before. She grabbed the emergency kit and handed it to her husband. "He's lucky that you found him." Eriol was a doctor after all.

"He's one hell of a lucky man. Look here, somebody stabbed him," Eriol said as he examined the stomach, earning a gasp from her. "Judging by the look of his outfit, he must be someone of importance," he said as he took the clothing off.

"My God," Tomoyo covered her mouth with her hand when she saw the scar on the soldier's back.

"A scar from a predator, a permanent one. Looks like it's from a long time ago," Eriol concluded and added, "I thought that only cats have nine lives."

Tomoyo shuddered when she looked at the stranger lying on the bed. He must have been someone very strong. For such a person to exist and be in her house now.

"He's not dangerous, right?" she asked worriedly. Eriol turned to look at her and he could see fear in her eyes.

"I couldn't just leave him there to die, could I?" he asked, and she smiled hearing that.

"Of course you couldn't. I would be mad at you if you did," she said and leaned forward to give him a kiss. "I trust you."

**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**.**-.-. **Later that night. Sakura. **-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**.**-.-.**

"Open the door!" She pushed at the door, trying to get out of her room, but it was no use. The wedding ceremony would take place in an hour, and it would be a nightmare for her. In fact, everything had been a nightmare ever since her father had left.

She knew that she would just be wasting her energy if she kept insisting on somebody to open the door. No one would open it for her. She had to find another way.

She walked out onto the balcony and turned to the left where she saw the balcony to the king's room a few meters apart. Right after that balcony, she could see another balcony as a way back into the hallway of the castle. She inhaled deeply and tried to control her heart beat. She never thought that she would have to do something this dangerous. _'C'mon, Sakura. You can do it'_ she told herself.

After taking a deep breath, she climbed up from her balcony. She stepped slowly on the edge of castle's stone wall, and held onto the wall for dear life. Her hands shook and she almost thought she wouldn't make it. But no, she couldn't fall here, she would probably die if she did. She continued her steps slowly and carefully. She gasped when she almost slipped, but quickly regained her control as she held on to the wall. Now, she hated her wedding dress even more. It was such a trouble for her to move. Finally, she reached the balcony to the king's room and stepped down carefully, catching her breath.

She had to make sure that her uncle would not see her. She tried to peep inside first before making another move.

"Now you'll finally get what you have always wanted." She could hear Jun's voice. He was talking to someone.

"Yes, so will you." It was Arthur.

Laughter escaped Jun's lips. Something about the way he laughed sent shivers down her spine.

"You mean this crown?" Jun asked sarcastically. "It should have been mine a long time ago."

Arthur stepped forward toward him and smirked, "I am amazed that you waited for such a long time. Nine years, right?" he asked even though he could have guessed the answer.

"Yes, indeed. Nine years ago. If only fate had been on my side, if only the wolf had killed him that day. Yet, it attacked that stupid warrior, the disgusting one who dared to steal this crown by taking advantage of my niece. He should have died as well nine years ago," Arthur smiled at this. His plan was perfect for the situation.

"But luck must have been on your side for another wolf to have killed your brother a few weeks ago."

Now it was Jun's time to smirk, "It wasn't luck." Sakura felt like her heart about to stop. She was not sure if she wanted to hear more.

"What do you mean?" Arthur raised his eyebrow.

Jun laughed out loud in victory like he had just conquered the world, "It was an effort. So was nine years ago."

"Well, well," Arthur commented. "It must be an interesting story," he said, wanting to hear more.

"My brother wanted to set out for a hunt in the woods. So I set it out to him," Jun told. "To be precise, I sent out a wolf for him."

**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**.**-.-. **_Flashback _**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**.**-.-.**

_An arrow was shot and the troops moved quickly inside the woods. Yet it missed the target as the deer ran and disappeared behind the trees. "Make sure we don't lose her," the King ordered. He and his younger brother moved along with the troops. "Hope we can get this done before noon. I don't want Sakura to wait for me for lunch."_

_"Brother," Jun called, and Fujitaka halted. He dragged the king aside when the soldiers moved to catch their target. "There's something I want to tell you, about Sakura," he spoke in a low voice._

_"Tell me, Jun," Fujitaka was curious about what his brother had to say about his daughter._

_Jun sighed and touched Fujitaka's shoulder as he dragged him to another path. "Sakura has indeed grown up. Don't you think that it's about time, my brother..," he stopped for a while before continuing, "That we arrange a marriage for her," he suggested and Fujitaka was surprised._

_"I never thought that you would think that far, Jun," Fujitaka said. They walked slowly, creating more distance from where the troops were. "I, myself, haven't even thought about that. Besides, no one fills my expectations." He sighed. "Except for one."_

_Jun was taken aback by the last sentence, "And who would that be?"_

_Fujitaka smiled, thinking about the warrior who had saved his daughter's life nine years ago. "It's becoming harder for them as they grow up, and I don't want to torture them anymore." He shook his head and decided to do what was right. "I planned to erase the boundary between her and the warrior," he told the truth. It was only Syaoran who could fill all of his expectations, one man who would guide and protect his daughter with his life._

_Jun thought that it was a joke. He clenched his fist in anger and tried to hide his rage. The warrior was just a filthy boy from the streets who would become the next king right after Fujitaka if he was to become a member of the clan. Jun's idea was that Sakura should marry someone of another clan, another empire. That way he could for sure have the crown for himself right after his brother's death._

_He also had another reason for why he had to kill his brother, for what had happened 17 years ago. The reason why he hated him so much. It had failed nine years ago, but it would not fail again._

_He did not regret dragging his brother to the path they were walking on, one that would lead to that creature, and one that would change their history._

_"If that's what you want, brother," he said when they halted. He was sure that his calculations were right. They turned their heads when they heard something crack behind the bushes. Jun took out his weapon and aimed the arrow at the direction of the sound. "Seems like the deer found a place to hide," he joked._

_Fujitaka walked slowly as his brother continued moving forward to find their target. Something about the air told him that it was not just a deer, it was something more. Yet he pushed that thought away when his brother said, "I told you. It's the target we missed just now. The troops were going in the wrong direction. C'mon, brother," he told and went through the bushes, Fujitaka following. _

_"Jun?" he called when his brother disappeared behind the bushes._

_"This way, brother." He could see Jun's hand behind a tree, a signal for him to move. He made his way through the bushes and came into a more opened area where trees surrounded him, but Jun was nowhere to be found._

_Suddenly he heard something growl behind him. The air got heavier than before, and a smell struck his nose. It was the smell of a predator. He quickly turned around, and his eyes widened in horror._

_There before his very eyes was a wolf, the biggest one he had ever encountered. The predator looked at him with hunger and clenched its teeth. It growled as it saw its victim._

_Fujitaka quickly drew his sword before the wolf attacked him. The edge of the sharp metal scratched its skin, but he could not escape the wolf's claw as it stroked his right arm causing him to bleed._

_The wolf drew back when its skin made contact with his sword. Yet, it was ready for another attack. Fujitaka dropped his sword, blood pouring from his arm. Wincing in pain, he pressed the wound. He knew that he would not win. One on one with a giant predator would lead to his death. He turned toward a tree behind him and held onto the branch for dear life as he began climbing._

_He could hear the wolf growl louder when it saw its victim trying to escape to a higher place. It ran to attack him again, but missed his legs as he kept climbing the tree. He was just about to reach another branch to lift his body up when a hand gripped his wounded arm, earning a painful scream from him, "Arrrgh."_

_Jun gripped his arm harder, almost making him lose his balance. He did not know that his brother was already up there hiding from the predator._

_"Jun, help me," Fujitaka said, begging his brother to save him._

_Jun looked him in the eyes and smiled, "It's not every day that I can hear a king beg to me," was his response._

_"Jun," Fujitaka looked at him in disbelief, fear in his eyes._

_"You shouldn't have been born from the start, brother," The words shocked him. He never thought that his brother would say something like that. He trusted him. He always did._

_"Why? What have I done wrong?" Fujitaka asked. He didn't want to believe. "Why?"_

_"You should ask God when you meet him later," With that said, Jun threw his brother down to where the hungry wolf was. Fujitaka's screams filled the air when the wolf landed its canine teeth into his body and ripped him apart, eating him brutally. Soon, the troops would arrive and find their King dead._

**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**.**-.-. **End of flashback **-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**.**-.-.**

Jun finished his story and silence filled the room. Arthur was amazed, just like a little boy being told a very interesting tale. He never thought that he would find someone who resembled him so much. It was just like looking in a mirror when he looked at Jun.

Sakura's entire body shook from what she had just heard. She covered her mouth with her hands, her lips trembling. Tears in her eyes, she thought about how her father had died, how her uncle had killed him. He had killed him so brutally, in an inhuman way and she did not want to believe it. She felt like collapsing, it was too much for her. _'No, father.'_

"You won't have to think about your niece anymore. I will have her, and you can have the crown for yourself," Arthur said.

"As you wish," Jun said, and Arthur could see anger on his face. "She's no use after all, and day by day she resembles that woman more," he said, clenching his fist with rage. Arthur could see that there was more to tell about this family but decided to find out later.

"Shall we see the bride then?" This made Sakura jump. Her heart raced and her natural instinct to live told her to run away, to escape from them. She could not feel her body though. She was so scared that she felt like dying.

Jun walked off toward the door, Arthur following. After hearing the door close, Sakura walked from the balcony into the room and to the door. Her hands shaking, she turned the door knob. Checking the hallway, she could see her uncle and Arthur walking to her room. She went as fast as her legs could bring her into the opposite direction. She was just about to turn at a corner when someone pinned her to a wall and covered her mouth with their hand before she could scream.

"Shh.. Your Highness, it's me." It was Takashi. He looked at her with worry. "You're not really going to marry that man, right?" he asked, and Sakura began to cry.

"Tak-uncle Jun-he... He killed-" she tried to speak properly but choked. She could not breathe properly. "He killed my father."

"What?" Takashi whispered in disbelief, trying to keep his voice down.

"He threw him to a wolf," Sakura continued, the words escaped her trembling lips. "And he is forcing me to marry that man, Arthur, so that he can have-" She choked again, "so that he can have this kingdom for himself."

Takashi was lost for words. He looked at her eyes and saw the fear in them. Never in his life had he seen her so frightened. "Sakura, listen to me. You have to get out of this castle," he stated. He knew that it was the only right thing to do.

"But how?" Sakura asked. All she wanted to do was leave.

"First of all, you have to go to the village and meet my mother; Ren. She will take care of you, and we will decide later where we should take you to keep you safe," he told her seriously. "I'll stand by in the castle to keep track of what they plan to do. We have to get going, your wedding ceremony will start soon, and they will be looking for you." Sakura just nodded at what he said. She would just follow his plan.

"FIND HER!" They jumped when Jun's voice echoed in the hall, commanding all the guards to find the princess. He was really mad when he did not find her in her room, that her niece dared to disobey him.

Arthur stood beside Jun. He eyed all the guards who immediately scattered to find Sakura. She was the only woman he could not conquer, the one who would not kneel before him. He promised himself that he would make her regret what she had done.

Takashi quickly pulled Sakura to a door leading toward a spiral staircase and went down with her. It would lead them to the stables. "We're going to the stables. You're going to need a ride," he told her hurriedly without stopping.

They finally reached the ground level and ran into the stables. Takashi pulled one of the horses and gave it to her. "Tak, I'm scared," Sakura said truthfully between tears.

"Sakura, this is the only way we can save you. You wouldn't want to sacrifice yourself to man like that, right?" She shook her head. No, she would never want that. He helped her climb up the horse and said, "Pedro will take care of you. He's a good boy." He patted the horse. "Take the back door. You will find a pathway to the village. Then you know the way from there, right?" She just nodded. Syaoran had brought her to Tak's house a few times. It used to be his home before he moved into the castle. "Now go! Wait for me there," he told her.

"Thank you, Tak," were Sakura's last words before she rode off on the horse. She was glad that she still had him. She knew that he was a friend whom she could trust. He was Syaoran's family, and he was like family to her as well.

"Please be careful," Takashi said when he saw her leaving. He prayed to God that everything would go well. His cousin would want her to be safe, and he would make sure of that.

He then walked back into the castle to spy on the two kings. His jaw tightened as he thought about them, those who had caused the death of his cousin.

**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**.**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**.**-.-.**

Sakura pulled on the horse and it halted. She saw about five soldiers guarding the back door. Many of them already scattered around the castle to look for her. Her heart beat fast since she knew that it was her only chance. She turned toward another direction and gasped when one of the soldiers saw her. "Over there!" he shouted so that his friends became aware.

Sakura quickly turned around and rode out of the place. They ran after her, the only thing making her able to escape them was the fact that she was on a horse, while they were not. She halted again when she saw ten soldiers cornering her. They aimed their spears at her. "Your Highness, please surrender!" they said, for the sake of the King's order.

"No!" Sakura turned around. She had no other choice but to follow the path leading to the front gate. All of the other paths were blocked.

**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**.**-.-. **Arthur **-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**.**-.-.**

He looked down from the roof top as soldiers scattered around the castle to bring his bride back. Never in his life had he felt so insulted. His eyes widened when he saw Sakura riding on a horse towards the main gate.

"There she is!" He could hear some soldiers yell frantically while running after her.

"That kid," Jun walked to Arthur's side. He looked down at his niece running away. "That ungrateful kid."

Arthur's jaw tightened, anger in his eyes. His fist shook with rage. "My bride," he hissed.

Jun saw his anger and commanded his soldiers, "CLOSE THE GATE NOW!"

Sakura's eyes widened when she saw the main gate being pulled down. She rode as fast as she could so that she could make her way out. _'No, please, please_!'

"Arthur, what say you?" Jun inquired. He already told him before that she was no use. So he would just leave it to Arthur, whatever his decision may be.

Arthur locked his eyes on his runaway bride, the one who dared to ditch him and insult him in front of everyone. "All that I cannot have must be gone so that nobody else can have it either," he stated in a low voice, his fists still shaking with rage.

Jun smirked from hearing his sentence. "Very well," he said and turned to the soldiers at the rooftop who were equipped with arrows. "Fire!" he commanded them. Yet they were still swallowing at the order given. They were going to fire at their princess?

"I said FIRE," the second command hit them, telling them to fire at her unless they wanted to die. Soon the arrows were shot down at Sakura, who glanced back and ducked out while she sped off with the horse.

"Ah!" she winced in pain as one of the arrows scratched her right arm. She thanked God that it was only a scratch. She glanced back and saw another round being aimed at her. She turned her head back to the front and focused on the closing main gate that would mean her life or death. _'C'mon, Pedro.'_ She leaned her body forward on the horse.

"No," Arthur said in denial. Sakura managed to slip her way out through the main gate. Seconds after that, it closed entirely, blocking their way to her.

Jun watched in disbelief. His niece had managed to get out from the castle. Clenching his teeth, he said to his soldiers, "Kill her."

.

**Special Thanks to acegirl195**


	6. Finding You

**The Warrior - Chapter 6 : "Finding You"**

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The bride rode off with the horse and entered the village. She passed all the people who were wondering what was going on when their princess sped off in her wedding dress. Seconds after that, they were taken aback when a group of soldiers on their horses sped off as well, chasing her.

Sakura glanced back and she saw the soldiers kept following her. She now knew that they had been ordered to kill her. She had to run away no matter what. She saw Takashi's house, but couldn't stop, since all the soldiers were just behind her. If she went there, she would be endangering Takashi's mother Ren as well.

_'No, what should I do now?'_

She kept passing the houses in the village until she came to an end of the road. She had no other choice but to leave the village behind. She entered the path into the forest and rode the horse as fast as she could. She glanced back and saw the soldiers still following her.

She entered a path which led her to a lower area inside the forest. More trees surrounded her. She halted when she saw two different path ways before her.

_'Now, which way should I take?'_

Before she could decide, a voice startled her. "Hey, over here." She turned to the source of the voice. A girl with a long brown hair, about her age, told her to come to her. "Follow me!" the girl whispered, signaling that she had some place to hide.

Sakura could hear the sound of other horses, which meant that the soldiers were about to get her. She decided to trust the girl and jumped off from her horse. "Go, go, Pedro," she told the horse to leave her. It went through one of the path ways and disappeared behind the trees.

The girl took her hand and dragged her down to hide behind a big tree when the soldiers passed by. They heard one of them command the others to check one of the path ways, while he and the other men went to another one. They left without any clue that the princess was hiding somewhere else.

"Come with me," the girl whispered. Sakura followed her. They walked down the ground through the bushes. After a few moments, they came to a small wooden house behind a giant tree. The girl knocked on the door, and a face of woman appeared.

"You came back. What happened?" The woman opened the door.

"Mama, I found her in the forest," the girl answered. When she came in, the woman could see Sakura. She then gasped in disbelief and quickly welcomed Sakura into the house.

"Oh my Lord. Your Highness," the woman said. She pulled a chair beside a table for Sakura to sit. Sakura traveled her eyes around the wooden house and realized that it was very small. It was not even bigger than her room in the castle. It consisted of one bed, a kitchen, and a bathroom at the back. In the center of the room was a table where she sat at, with a few chairs. "Your Highness," the woman's voice snapped her back. "Do you want something to drink? You must be tired," she offered.

Before Sakura could answer, she already put a glass of water for her on the table. Then, she took a seat beside her. "Thank you," Sakura said and smiled softly.

"I was really surprised to find you when I was about to collect some mushrooms. Why did they come after you? And why did you run away?" the girl asked worriedly. "Something must have happened." She had seen how Sakura tried to escape them for dear life.

The woman held her hand when she saw fear in Sakura's eyes. Sakura looked at them and said, "It was terrible." She broke in tears.

"Hush now. It's okay," the woman soothed her. Sakura cried softly on her shoulder. She then lifted her head, looked her in the eyes, and nodded quietly. "I am Marcia, and this is my daughter, Penelope. We live here. If there's anything that I can help-" but Sakura shook her head. She did not want them to encounter dangers because of her.

"Your Highness, at least you can tell us the problem. Maybe we can help," the girl, Penelope, said sincerely. "Please, you can trust us." Her mother nodded.

Sakura looked at them and took a deep breath. She then told them the entire story of what had happened.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- Later that night -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Jun was sitting on his throne with the soldiers standing before him. They had reported that they had just lost the princess today.

"How could it be that you, a group of soldiers, lost to a weak young girl!?" he roared. His jaw tightened. "And you call yourself soldiers. What a shame," he spat in disgust. He then stood up menacingly. The soldiers took a step backward. "I want her dead," he spoke very slowly and clearly. "Do not come back until you find her, and kill her." His eyes flashed dangerously. "Unless you want to be dead. All of you."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- Two days later, at a village far from there -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Eriol looked at the young man lying on the bed. A few days had passed since he found him at the river. He sighed and wondered who he really was. He guessed that they were about the same age. He turned his head when his wife entered the room, bringing some food.

"How is he?" Tomoyo asked.

"Recovering, and a quick one at that," he told her. "It was impossible that he nearly escaped death. Now, it's about time that he wakes up," he added.

"That's good to hear." She sighed in relief. "It must be because of you, my Eriol, the best doctor ever." She put the tray of food on the table near the bed, smiled at him, and put her arms around his neck.

" Well, I'm nothing without you," he said, and she blushed. He earned a light punch from her, since she thought that he was making fun of her. Little did she know that he meant every word he said. They heard movements from the bed, and saw that the person had opened his eyes.

Amber eyes stared at the ceiling when he tried to regain his consciousness. He felt incredibly dizzy. Some images flashed back in his mind. He then immediately sat up. His heart raced. He looked around, only to find the unfamiliar room and unfamiliar faces of Tomoyo and Eriol.

"Are you okay? How do you feel?" Eriol stepped closer to the bed, his face worried when he looked at his nervous patient.

"Where am I? How long have I been here?" were the words that left the person's mouth instead. He gripped Eriol's shoulder for an answer, fear in his eyes.

"Calm down," Eriol spoke. He wondered why he was acting like that. "You're at my house. I found you at the river two days ago," he explained, but the effect was major: the person immediately got up from the bed and tried to walk, but fell down instead. He felt the pain on his body striking back. Tomoyo nearly screamed.

"Don't move. You're still healing," Eriol told him, more like commanded. "You'll open the wounds on your body." He got almost the entire part of his upper body wrapped in bandage: his left shoulder, chest, and stomach. Except for his arms.

"NO, I HAVE TO GO"

"No, listen to me ,you," Eriol warned him when he tried to get up. "Listen to me. I have done my best to save you, and I will not let you go to die!" Eriol raised his voice.

The person looked him in the eyes, fear written all over his face. "No, you don't understand. I have to go now, or else, she- she-" He could not finish his sentence for all sort of bad things came into his mind. He could not bear to know what might happen to her, what those evil people would do to her, while he was gone.

"It's Sakura, isn't it?" Tomoyo finally spoke. She got his attention when she said the name. "You kept saying her name while you were asleep," she said worriedly.

The person tried to get back to his feet again and said, "I have to go" before he collapsed again and hit the floor hard, just after he forced his body to move.

"You will, but not now!" Eriol stated. "It was a miracle itself that you could survive. You almost died two days ago," he continued. "Tell us and maybe we can help you. Who are you? And where did you come from?"

The person groaned in pain while he lied on the floor, and touched his chest. He then knew that he must have broken a rib or two. "Syaoran, from Kinomoto.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- Flashback -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

12 year-old Sakura ran outside the castle to the back yard, where she found her father training her warrior. Sound of swords clashing with each other filled the air when they battled in an incredible speed.

She watched in awe when Syaoran moved his body and sword to escape and block all of her father's attacks. He then attacked back. Her father moved backward and blocked all of his attempts. She smiled, thinking that they were just like a mirror: the King and her 15 years old warrior.

Yelen came into sight. She brought some food for the two of them and placed it on the table at the yard. "My God, you two could do this for the whole day if I don't interrupt," she said to herself when she saw how the two of them were too lost in the battle. Sakura laughed a little at this.

Seeing Yelen, Fujitaka stopped and said, "Enough for today, Syaoran." He smiled, proud of the boy.

"Yes, Your Highness," Syaoran said and followed him. They approached Yelen, who was preparing the food on the table.

When Syaoran took a seat at the table, Sakura approached him quietly from the back and naughtily closed his eyes with her hands. Fujitaka and Yelen laughed at this. "Princess," Syaoran said. He knew that it was her.

"Count to 20, Syaoran," Sakura ordered and giggled. Here she was doing her favorite trick. She asked him to count and she would hide somewhere, then he had to find her. Hide and seek?

Syaoran sighed but smiled. He then began to count with his eyes closed. Fujitaka and Yelen shook their heads, seeing the two children playing games. Sakura ran and tried to find some place to hide. Syaoran's voice faded away when she went further.

She turned at a corner and ran along the side of the castle wall. She halted when she found a tree and decided to climb it. Reaching for the branches, she climbed up, finally managed to place herself up at the top, and waited there. A naughty smile touched her lips. She thought that Syaoran would never find her there. Perfect.

She sat there in silence for a few minutes until she noticed a small bird landed on one of the branches. 'Oh, how beautiful.' She looked at the small bird, which had feathers in blue and black. 'Hey, come here.' She tried to reach the small bird with her hand and moved her body closer to the tip of the branch.

To her horror, the small bird flew away and the branch she was holding herself onto suddenly broke. She screamed when she fell down and prepared herself to hit the harsh ground, but a pair of arms caught her.

She was wrapped around the arms and body when she reached the ground and rolled over the grass. "Syaoran." She looked at those amber eyes belonged to her warrior. His face was on top of hers, his arms protecting her back from the harsh ground, and his hand on the back of her head. "How did you know that I was there?" she asked, after she had managed to catch her breath.

"I told you that I would always find you," was the answer, and he smiled at her.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- End of flashback -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Your Highness, are you okay?" A soft voice woke Sakura up. She was lying on the bed, tears on her face. She opened her eyes only to see Penelope looking at her with worry. "You were crying in your sleep." It had been 2 days since she had entered the house. They had slept together on the bed side by side. Penelope's mother, Marcia, was asleep.

"I had a dream," Sakura said softly and wiped her tears away. She had dreamt about Syaoran, about how he would always find her, and how she would feel save in his arms. Yet now, he was gone and he would never find her. 'I miss you Syaoran, father'

Penelope held her hand and tried to comfort her. She had never imagined that such tragedy would have happened to the kingdom. She had dreamt of living as a princess inside the castle. Now, she was very poor, but at least she was glad that she was able to live happily with her mother. She looked at Sakura, the princess who was just the same age as her, and admired her beauty. "You're so beautiful," she said truthfully.

"So are you." Sakura smiled softly. Penelope then noticed something shiny on Sakura's finger. It was a ring: the one Arthur had given her when he proposed her to marry him. "I should have thrown this thing away." Penelope's eyes widened in shock.

"No, it's lovely. Someone like me would die to have such a thing," she told.

Sakura smiled and took off the ring. She then put it on Penelope's finger. "Then, you can have it."

Penelope's mouth dropped open. That ring was worth a lot of money. She and her mother would not even have to work again for the rest of their life. "Oh my God." She was speechless. She did not know what to say.

Sakura smiled. She wished that she could take Penelope and her mother to live in the castle, just like her father did to Syaoran and his mother. They hugged each other, and she did not know how long she was going to hide in there. She did not want to be a burden for them.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- Tomoyo -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

She covered her mouth in her hand after Syaoran told her and Eriol the story. Tears started to form in her eyes when she thought about the princess Syaoran was talking about. She could not imagine if she was in her position. She would not be able to take it if something like that happened to Eriol.

"You know now why I have to go," Syaoran said. "She's not safe in there. I don't know what those cunning folks are planning to do to her. And she probably thought that I was dead. And I have to see my mother as well," he explained.

Eriol sighed, his arms crossed on his chest. "I understand, but I think we should wait until the morning. It's not a really safe trip to go there at night. I know the way there." Syaoran was about to interrupt when he added, "And your body needs some rest first. I'll give you extra medicine tonight, and you'll be good to go tomorrow," he told. "And what's your plan? You can't just go into the castle. You were sentenced to death."

"I'm going to my cousin's house first. His name's Takashi. He's a soldier too. He knows what's going on," Syaoran told.

"Okay, I'm going with you," Eriol said, and it shocked them. Tomoyo looked at him in disbelief. By the look on her face, she would kill him first before he could even manage to go out of the house.

"No. I can't let you do that," Syaoran said.

"You should. You owe me that much," Eriol said, and it made Syaoran speechless. He then turned to his wife, whose about to open her mouth, but he dragged her out, so that both of them could have a conversation in another room.

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Tomoyo asked. Her eyes begged him to tell her that it was just a joke.

"Tomoyo, I can't just let him go alone after we hear the story," he said.

"Eriol, you're not a soldier. You're a doctor!"

"As a doctor, I shouldn't even let him go in the first place with all the wounds on his body," he told. He hoped that she would understand.

"It's dangerous. I can't imagine if something happens to you. It's a kingdom you're gonna face." She burst into tears, and he pulled her into a hug.

"Shhh.. It's okay, baby. I'll be okay," Eriol said and tried to calm her down. She cried on his chest.

"Promise me," she said between tears and hugged him back. She knew her husband well and how he always cared about others. Sometimes she wished he could care more about himself. Yet, that was one of the reasons why she loved him.

"I promise," he said firmly and kissed her forehead.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- Later at midnight, Penelope's house -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Footsteps were heard, when some men, soldiers to be exact, surrounded the house. Yet, the occupants were too asleep to notice their existence. One of the soldiers looked into the house through the window. There was a dim light illuminating the room, and they saw the princess sleeping on the bed.

"She's here," he told the others, who nodded. They had searched for her everywhere, including the village, for the past few days. Now, they finally got her. They never thought that the King would assign them to kill her. Yet, they had to do it, for their lives, for their families.

Soon, one of them stepped closer to the house, with a torch. With one single movement, he put the fire on the house, and the others followed. The fire would light up the night, and the screams of the occupants would fill the air soon.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sakura's eyes opened slowly when she felt the air getting hot. She winced when the light almost blinded her vision, and she could hear the sound of the fire burning the woods. She immediately sat up. Her eyes widened in horror when she looked at the house burning. "Penelope! Get up! Get up!" she screamed and shook the girl beside her to wake up.

Penelope and Marcia woke up. They screamed as they saw the fire. All of them immediately got up from the bed and rushed to the door for their life. Suddenly, the ceiling above them broke off and hit Marcia. Her scream filled the air when her body made contact with the fire. She fell on the floor and screamed in pain. The fire consumed her and burned her entire body.

"Noo, mama!" Penelope screamed hysterically. She saw her mother dying. The fire was blocking her way from her mother. "Nooo!"

Sakura's entire body shook when she saw the scene before her. She pulled Penelope to her when the fire almost hit Penelope from the other side. They then looked up in horror when the ceiling above them started to break off again. Penelope pushed her when it fell between them, so that she was thrown to the bathroom and crashed the door. She felt like her entire body was going to break.

Penelope screamed when the fire blocked her way from Sakura. She was trapped inside the fire, which was growing bigger. "Penelope!" Sakura screamed out her name when she watched the fire reached her friend. "Nooo"

Hysterical screams filled the air. Sakura saw the mother and daughter were burned in fire. She tried to approach them and help them, but another ceiling fell off. She screamed when it almot hit her. Now, she was trapped inside the bathroom. The fire kept burning the entire house. "Gooo! Ruun!" Penelope screamed at Sakura, telling her to run away, while her own body was burned.

'No.. no' Sakura screamed in her heart. She was the cause of this. They were just trying to help her. She could not even forgive herself if she lived. It was horrible. She could see their bodies turning black when they were burned.

Fire surrounded her. She was going to die too. She looked up and saw a ventilation hole in the bathroom. It was the only way out. With her last energy, she dragged herself on the floor. She then tried to lift her body up and reached out her hand to the hole. She climbed through it and fell down harshly on the grass outside.

Panting, she looked up at the house and watched it burned. She turned around and crawled on the grass. She cried her eyes out. Her heart almost stopped when she heard the sound of soldiers talking. She kept crawling in the dark to get out of the place. She tried to get up to her feet, but fell down miserably onto the ground.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- The following day -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Two men rode their horses and entered the Kinomoto village. It was raining and almost twilight when they finally reached the destination after a long journey. One of them hid his face under a hood. The villagers murmured when they watched the strangers passing by their houses.

They stopped in front of one of the houses and got off from their horses. The man with a hood knocked twice on the door, and a woman came out. "Ren, it's me," he whispered, trying to keep his voice down so that the other villagers would not notice. The woman gasped in shock and quickly let them in. She closed the door and locked it.

"Syaoran!" she said in disbelief when her nephew pulled the hood down, showing his unruly chestnut hair. "Oh my God, we thought you were dead!" She burst into tears and hugged him tightly.

"Well, I'm not," he said, smiling, and hugged her back. "By the way, this is Eriol. He's the one who saved my life."

Eriol stepped forward, and she pulled him into a tight hug. "Thank you. Thank you so much. I don't know how to thank enough for bringing him back," she said, tears of joy in her eyes.

"You're most welcome. He's the type of person who's difficult to die anyways," Eriol joked and smiled at her.

"So Syaoran, were you with Sakura? Where is she?" this question startled Syaoran.

"What do you mean?" he asked, and she looked at him with a lost expression.

"Oh Syaoran, so she's not with you?" her voice was a bit shaky. She did not know how to tell him. Before Syaoran could open his mouth again, someone knocked on the door.

"Mother, it's me." Takashi's voice. Ren quickly went to the door and opened it for her son to come in. His clothes were soaked for being out in the rain. His eyes widened in shock when he saw his cousin standing there. "Syaoran." He could not believe his eyes when he stepped inside. Before he could even say another word, Syaoran cornered him on the wall and gripped his shoulder.

"Tak, tell me what's going on. What happened to Sakura?" Syaoran asked him panicky. His heart raced when he thought about what might have happened to her.

Takashi looked at his cousin sadly, and Syaoran did not like the look one bit. "She was devastated. She thought you were gone. And.." He did not know how to tell him.

"And?" Syaoran raised his voice, which told him to continue.

"And she overheard the conversation between her uncle and that King, Arthur. She told me that her uncle killed her father."

"What?" Syaoran could hardly believe it. Takashi winced in pain when Syaoran tightened the grip on his shoulder. "Tak, don't lie to me."

"I'm not. She was really scared. I've never seen her like that before. And moreover, her uncle forced her to marry King Arthur." Syaoran froze at this. "So, we decided that it was best for her to leave the castle. She did, but.."

"What is it, Tak?" Syaoran was about to lose control, his amber eyes full of rage.

"The King wants her dead."

He lost his grip on Takashi, hit the table when he moved backward, and sunk to the floor.

"Syaoran, I'm sorry. She should have been here. I told her to. She's missing now, and we're trying to find her. Her uncle was crazy. They fired at her while she was trying to run away. Fortunately, she managed to get out of the castle," Takashi explained.

Syaoran could not take it any longer. He could not bear knowing that all of those things happened to her, and he was not even there to protect her.

He had to find her.

Without thinking further, he went to the door and walked out of the house. He hid his face under the hood while the rain kept pouring down. Takashi and Eriol immediately followed him. Ren watched in worry while the three of them leaving. She prayed to God that everything would be alright.

"Where are you going?" Eriol asked.

Syaoran looked around and said, "Tak, you said she's missing and the King wants her dead, but I haven't seen any soldier around."

Takashi noticed the situation and said, "Yeah, there were some soldiers checking around the village for these past few days until last night, but I haven't seen them again since this morning."

Syaoran's heart beat fast, and the worst thought came into his mind: the King had found her.

"It's horrible." He turned his head when he heard one of the neighbors, a woman, talking to another. "I heard they burned her alive in the forest."

The other woman covered her mouth in her hand. "My Lord, that's so cruel. What is happening to our kingdom?" she said in disbelief.

Syaoran looked up and noticed. Even somehow the rain had made the vision vague, he could see a smoke coming out from the forest a bit far away from the village. His heart raced. He quickly jumped onto the horse and rode off. Eriol also jumped onto his horse and rode off, followed by Takashi.

They rode their horses as fast as they could. They got the villagers' attention when they passed by their houses, left the village behind, and entered the forest.

They went along the path way inside the forest, deeper, until more trees surrounded them. Finally, they found it at the lower area of the forest: a wooden house, or to be exact, what was left of the wooden house, since it had been burned entirely.

'No, no' Syaoran's heart said in denial. He halted there and jumped off from his horse to check it. He stepped into the site and his heart skipped a beat when he found two bodies lying there: what were left from humans, for they had been burned until black, unrecognized.

Eriol and Takashi walked behind him. They looked at the awful site and hoped that they would not find Sakura in there. Yet, something caught their eyes.

It was a thing, that even though the fire had destroyed everything there, it was still shining, as bright as it had ever been. It was a ring.

Syaoran knelt down and took it off from the finger of the dead body. His hand shook. He brought it closer to his eyes and saw some writing engraved on the inner side of the ring: 'I am my beloved's, and my beloved Cherry Blossom is mine'.

It was hers, the ring. He felt like the world had just stopped. He could not breathe.

"Syaoran," Eriol tried to approach him, but he was taken aback.

"SAKURA" he screamed out her name and hugged the dead, burned body. No, he did not want to believe what had happened, that she was gone, that she had left him forever. "Noo, no GOD PLEASE" he cried out and felt numb.

Takashi looked at the scene before him, stunned. He could not believe either that they had lost her. No, it was not supposed to happen.

Syaoran's heart was ripped apart. He'd rather die himself than to lose her. He would do everything to protect her. He would sacrifice himself. Yet, he had failed. He failed as her warrior.

He felt his entire body shaking with rage he could not control. It was the fact he could not deny, that she had died tragically. He kept holding the dead body in his arms when he cried.

She was his other half…

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**AN: Special thanks to Captain Zangano.**


	7. The Arrival of the King

Author's Note: HI all, sorry I know I was being so cruel to Sakura and Syaoran in the previous chapters LOLL. What can I say, the plot had to be like that. Believe me, I miss them together too!

Anyways THANK YOU FOR MY REVIEWERS :)

Disclaimer: I do not own CCS. I just own the plot.

**The Warrior – Chapter 7: "The Arrival of the King"**

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Kinomoto Kingdom; a kingdom once ruled by a King well known for his glory, yet died tragically. A tragedy that unfortunately befell his beloved daughter; the princes, as well in the form of flames and despair.

However, no one knew that the princess was still alive. Nor did they know that she was trying to return to the life she once had.

There she laid hopelessly, her face nestled on the ground and her eyes closed. It wasn't until she felt the nudge of an unknown source that she began to stir and open her eyes slowly.

Gazing up with blurred vision, she was greeted with dark eyes and the strong outline of what appeared to be a horse. Soft tones of brown filled her vision as the noble creature leaned down to nudge at her again, almost as if beckoning her to stay awake.

Slowly reaching to touch it, she struggled to lift herself off the ground. Each of her bones ached, feeling brittle and unstable as if ready to break at any given second. Her head pulsed with a sharp pain causing her to wince and rub at her throbbing temple.

Slowly rising to her feet, moving almost unconsciously as she climbed atop the steed. Grasping at its thick mane, trying her best not to slip off.

_'Please take me somewhere'_

Slowly her eyes fell closed again, the wind blowing gently against her skin as the horse galloped off toward an unknown destination.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. Eriol's Home .-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Staring down worriedly at the young man before him, Eriol sighed.

"How is he?" the gentle voice of his wife startled him briefly before he scowled softly and shook his head.

"He hasn't spoken at all since the incident."

She glanced over as her husband spoke only to find Syaoran staring silently out the window, a hollow look to his once eager eyes.

"What about his mother?"

"She's missing. Takashi told him that she couldn't be found within the castle walls. It seems she hasn't returned to his house either. It's devastated him," Eriol replied with a soft sigh as he gazed at his wife, thanking God that he still had her. He couldn't imagine if the same situation had happened to him. "Takashi said that it's not safe for him to be in the village. The King and his troops will surely kill him. He thought that our place would be the safest for now."

"And yet Syaoran still hasn't said a word."

Eriol nodded.

Those amber eyes had grown dull and empty. He could no longer see his loved ones. Their voices were a fading memory, their love a lost warmth. If there was one thing that could do though, it was to find his mother no matter what.

However, he had to accept that his princess was gone and would not be coming back. He could feel the ring resting on his palm, the metal subtly warm from his grasp while he felt nothing but unpleasantly cold. Every time he looked at the silver band, his mood would only descend further, a constant reminder of everything that had happened.

He could never forget what they had done nor would he ever forgive them.

Never.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. Meanwhile .-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

A woman made her way to the castle gates, forcing her way toward the guarded doors before being abruptly halted. "Step away, ma'am," a solemn guard warned her

"Please, you must let me in! I must see him!" she cried, panting from the struggle of trying to get in. What was one woman against several trained guards?

"You must be granted permission from the king to enter. Otherwise we cannot allow you access," the guard specified as the group stood their ground.

"That is why I must speak with him!" She cried as she tried to break free from the guard's restraint. "Please," she paused, her voice growing firm with determination. "Please just tell your king my name."

A petite young girl sat at her throne, her silk raven hair tied in two ponytails and a crown atop her head. Indeed, this was the princess Mei Lin. Gazing toward her father, the young girl looked upon her king with wonder. That is, until one of the kingdoms soldiers abruptly entered the room.

"What has happened?" the King was old but wise, and it showed to his kingdom. He was someone who had power and control for many year, and justly so.

"A woman insists on entering the castle, Your Majesty," the soldier replied.

"And you couldn't even handle that?" the king's right eyebrow rose with the question.

"We could, Your Majesty, and we were prepared to send her off, however she is firm that we tell you-"

"Tell me what?" the king's voice rose with impatience.

"Her name, Sir," the guard paused at the king's questioning expression. "She has announced herself as Lady Yelen."

The king became silent, all impatience forgotten and expression suddenly frozen.

The name brought back many memories. Memories that the king had chosen to forget long ago. His daughter noticed the falter in her father's expression with a grimace.

"Who is she, father?"

"Mei Lin..," the king was speechless, obviously shaken by the sudden arrival at their gates. After a brief pause the king acknowledged the soldier again, "Let her in," he demanded firmly.

"Yes, Your Majesty," the soldier bowed and departed to follow his king's command.

It was not much longer after that that a woman entered the room accompanied by two guards.

"Yelen," the kingdom's strong ruler stood at her presence. A look only described as disbelief painted across his aging face.

"Please," Yelen trembled as she spoke. These were not the circumstances she had ever wanted reunite under. "Please, you are the king. I know," any strength she had diminished as she collapsed to her knees. "I know you'll be able to do it."

Though the scene before them had captured the room's attention, it was nothing compared to the surprise on everyone's faces as the king began to descend from his throne. Walking down to the shaken woman and bending down to speak with her.

"Please," she begged, "find him."

"Find who?"

"Find him," she looked into his eyes and continued, "your son."

The room was filled with gasps and murmurs revolving around Yelen's words. Mei Lin looked down at her father from her spot on her throne. Her expression was complete disbelief at what she was hearing.

"My son?" It was impossible. The king's eyes widened in shock from what he was hearing.

Yelen nodded and cried, "Your son Syaoran." Her eyes showed nothing but sincerity, not an ounce of distrust to be seen.

The king was absolutely stunned. The room became heavy with silence, the feeling of shock mutual amongst his people. The people of the Li kingdom had a prince. A kingdom known for being incredibly powerful, conquering many lands, and holding their territory due to the fear other kingdoms had toward waging any sort of war against them. Syaoran was a Li, and the true heir of this land should the king pass. Their veins pumped with the same blood after all.

The long lost prince.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. Elsewhere .-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"I'm leaving now," a young man shouted as he stepped out of his home with an axe slung across his back.

"You'll be back before sundown, right?" his wife asked as she appeared at the doorway. He turned to her, grinning as he ran his fingers through her beautiful brunette hair, tucking a stray strand behind her ear.

"Missing me already? I only took a step out of the house," he teased with an amused wink.

His wife giggled as she pulled him closer. The two connected for a passionate kiss as she ran delicate fingers through his jet black hair. "Won't you miss me more?" she asked softly, lips lingering against his as a reminder of what awaited him upon his return.

"Will you two just get a room," the two turned at the young girl's voice. She gave them a look of mock distaste for the public affection. "Don't be taken by that fiend Touya, Kaho."

"They're newlyweds, Chiharu," another girl came to her side, adjusting the glasses on her face and watching the couple in a dreamy daze.

"We live in a free country," Touya said simply with a shrug of his shoulders. Kaho just giggled at their antics as she stayed in her husband's embrace. "You girls could get married if you had boyfriends," he added with a wicked smirk.

"Touya, you jerk!" Chiharu leapt toward Touya, shaking him by the neck in an animated fashion.

"Hmm," the other girl; Naoko, adjusted her glasses again in thought. "We might live free but I'm not sure Tomoeda is a country."

Tomoeda was known as a free land by its people. Though it was fair in size, the land belonged to the people as it had yet to be conquered by any kingdom or emperor. Though not widely populated, the land was lush and provided what its current population needed.

"Are you leaving already, Touya?" a woman asked as she walked out of the neighboring restaurant and smiled at the small group. Known across the town as the 'village flower', Miss Nadeshiko was the local restaurant owner and a very kind figure in the community. "Girls, I think Rika needs some assistance in the kitchen."

"Right away, Auntie Nadeshiko," Chiharu and Naoko said in unison as they bowed in farewell to the young couple and made their way inside the restaurant.

"Mother," Touya smiled as he walked up to Nadeshiko, grasping her hand and bending to kiss it gently. "Yup, I'll be back before dark."

Nadeshiko smiled at her son though it was sad. He was a carpenter, a very talented and hardworking one at that. She always wished she could give him more though. Before Touya could finish his farewells, their attention was drawn toward the street along with the rest of the village. The sound of horseshoes clapping against the pavement echoed through the small village as its townsfolk murmured softly.

Making its way slowly through the village was a lone horse. Though nothing indicated it was sent from a neighboring kingdom or that it posed any threat, worry still filled within the gathering villagers due to the single unconscious passenger slung across the horse's broad back.

Touya and his small group watched as the steed made its way towards them, halting when it finally stood before them. The group simultaneously gasped as the sleeping girl began to slump and suddenly fall from the horses back. Acting quickly, Touya managed to catch her just short of the ground, holding her tight as she lie limp in his arms.

"Touya..," Nadeshiko bent down beside her son, looking over the girl in his arms with worry. Her hair and clothes were wrecked and torn, ash smeared across her face and dirtying her otherwise light hair. "Oh my," she gasped when she finally noticed the injury on the girl's head. Her eyes watered as she gently stroked away the blood dripping to the side of her face. "Let's get her inside," she insisted and Touya nodded in agreement.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. Li Kingdom .-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Mei Lin rested upright on her bed, deep in thought over the recent news of her father. It had already been two days but the memory stayed fresh in her mind. Mei Lin had been so alone within the kingdom walls after her mother, the former queen, had passed from an illness years prior. That winter had been the coldest winter of Mei Lin's life and this recent news only reopened the wound.

To know that her father had found another woman and even had a son whether he had been aware or not caused her heartbreak. Heartbreak and anger, anger that she had never experienced in regards to her father.

Surely there was more to the story, even she knew that. However, just thinking of her father's conversation with that woman caused scorn, and Mei Lin bit her lip as tears began to blur her vision.

_"Why?" the king all but roared in outrage as he stood with Yelen the day after her reappearance. "Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?"_

_The two made eye contact, though where the king's eyes held anger, Yelen's only held tears. "I couldn't," was all she said as the king stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder._

_"What happened?" his voice faltered, his desperation for the truth evident in not only his tone but body language. He deserved to know. Not because he was a king, but because he was a man and this was his son. He deserved the truth._

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. 20 years ago .-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The Li Kingdom was infamous across the land. Known for its expanding territory and even more so for its mighty king.

Just like any other King, many women wanted to be his queen. This included Ah Rum, the daughter of an emperor who ruled a kingdom across the East Sea. She had become close to the king and this pleased her parents.

However, this had been a difficult task. The king was cold, causing company to become scarce until he became bitter with loneliness. Ah Rum was an exception though. Her wit and abundance of knowledge made her suitable company for the king and he found her presence well enough.

Even so, under his cold exterior even the king had a secret. His secret was a hidden love for a young woman who treated him with tenderness and enough warmth to melt away the ice of his heart.

The king had been born from power. The heir of one the most powerful men in the world, he had grown with high expectations and standards in regards to his future. The death of his parents at a young age thrust the position of king on him earlier than anyone could have expected. He was too young for the responsibilities and burdens of a leader.

Yelen was simple though. She was a regular girl born of a servant rather than an emperor. She understood him and was patient despite his many flaws. For every time he lost his temper, she would calm and comfort him. She reassured him and made him understand the trust his kingdom shared for him, for even if fell all he had to do was stand back up.

She found him to be magnificent, though not for his status. To her he was brave and powerful, yet so fragile at heart and in need of nurturing. She only wished to heal his weary heart.

Both had what the other needed and it made the two connect on a deeper level. They became inseparable, and their love blossomed even though it meant crossing the line between king and servant. Despite his secrecy, Ah Rum found out.

"You are pregnant, right?"

Yelen had been shocked when Ah Rum approached her. Ah Rum had watched the young servant closely for awhile now. It wasn't long before she noticed the subtle changes happening to Yelen and could tell what was happening within her. It was impossible. Ah Rum would become queen; she was destined for the king, not some servant.

"What?" Yelen was skittish and nervous at the direct approach. If word spread, surely there would be trouble. "What are you talking about?"

"How dare you. What you have done is sin," she all but hissed. It was impossible for a servant like Yelen to hold the king's heart when someone of royalty had yet to even attain it. Ah Rum stepped forward until she had backed the terrified Yelen against the corridor wall. "Who do you think you are?" she asked with heavy disgust, "You are nothing but a servant, and he is a king. What makes you think you are suitable for him?"

Ah Rum's words bit into Yelen's heart as she shook her head in denial.

"This kingdom would fall apart with this news, are you prepared for that? Do you understand respect and honor? If the kingdom were to find out about you two, all respect would diminish and his honor would become unsalvageable," Ah Rum's words were almost as ice cold as her eyes. "Filthy woman," she continued, "You should be sentenced to death."

Yelen shook with fear from what she was hearing and the sudden realization of what she had to do. She had always anticipated this day with a heavy heart. After all, the kingdom's wellbeing was worth more than her happiness.

"No," she whispered in protest. Ah Rum had made her point and Yelen had made her decision. She would disappear forever.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Mei Lin closed her eyes softly as a single tear rolled down her cheek. She wiped it off with the back of her hand as she stood from her bed and walked toward her door. Making her way down the hallway, a sliver of light could be seen coming from the room designated to Yelen. Mei Lin walked over to the door just slightly cracked open and noticed the woman within sobbing softly on her bed.

"Syaoran," she whispered sadly as she thought of her only son. She continued to tell herself that he was still alive but the anxiety of uncertainty slowly ate at her.

The sound of her door creaking open and footsteps slowly padding toward the bed started Yelen, and she looked up to see Mei Lin looking down at her. The princess hesitated before gently taking Yelen's hands into her own in an attempt to comfort her.

"I hope we can find him," was all she could say. Yelen looked up at her with surprise. She assumed that this young girl would hate her after the news she brought to the king.

"Thank you. Thank you," Yelen chanted and stood to hug her. Mei Lin felt the tears return in a flood of new emotion as she cried and hugged back. She only wished that Yelen could forgive her mother.

'Please forgive my mother,' she whispered in her heart. She found herself truly hoping that they could find Syaoran so that she would be able to meet her half brother.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Your Majesty!" a soldier shouted as the search party came to a halt. The soldier pointed toward the river as the king navigated his horse closer.

Beside the river laid a pair of shoes and abandoned pieces of armor. The king pulled up to the river's side and looked toward the direction of its flow. The upstream was certainly coming from the West just as Yelen had said. Based on her story, Syaoran had fallen from a nearby cliff and in to the water. With no body to be found, the king knew that someone must have helped Syaoran.

"To the village! I want every home searched, do not miss a single one," the king commanded from atop his steed. Each soldier sounded off at their king's order as the group began to ride to the nearby village. The king felt determined to find his son, and with this breakthrough he felt confident he would do just that.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. Eriol's Home .-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"What are you going to do now?" Eriol asked as he watched Syaoran slip on his shoes.

"First I'm going to find my mother," though he was speaking again, Syaoran was far from recovered. His voice quit and composure cold, he was suffering emotionally though physically he had healed.

"Takashi has already searched the village and couldn't find her. Where are you planning to search?"

Syaoran paused with thought, but before he could respond, Tomoyo appeared with a tray of food and a gentle smile. It wasn't uncommon for her to try cheering him up like this.

"Syaoran, I brought you some food. I'm sure you'll like-," there was a sudden crash as the door was forcefully opened. The sudden intrusion startled Tomoyo and the tray of flood clattered to the ground as she accidently dropped it.

"Shit," Syaoran cursed as soldiers began to fill their home. He quickly reached for the sword Takashi had lent him earlier as Eriol ushered Tomoyo further away.

Syaoran drew his sword, steadily pointing it toward the intrusive soldiers. How Jun's men had found him it was impossible to say, especially considering they should have thought him to be dead.

The three of them watched the soldiers cautiously from across the room. "What business do you have here? Stay back or I will attack," he warned with a firm expression.

The room became silent as the soldiers stared in amazement, much to Syaoran's confusion. He was the spitting image of their king, it was almost is if they were looking at a younger version of their ruler. The silence was cut by the sound of footsteps, and the soldiers proceeded to step to the side as the king entered the house.

Though Syaoran was unaware of whom he was, Eriol and Tomoyo were quick to bend their knees and bow toward the older man.

_'What the hell?'_

Syaoran stared at the man before him. He was taken by the chestnut brown hair and piercing amber eyes that Syaoran himself saw every time he looked in the mirror. Judging by his clothing, this man was of high importance, very easily royalty. It was apparent he was a king, but he was not Jun, nor was he Arthur.

The old man was stunned when he looked at Syaoran.

"Lower your sword, Syaoran!" Eriol whispered frantically from the floor. "He's our king! Put your sword down!" Despite his confusion, Syaoran slowly lowered his sword and continued to stare at the king. "Now, get down and bow!" Eriol whispered again, "I said, DOWN!"

Syaoran began to slowly lower himself down to bow before he felt the king's grasp on his shoulder. Syaoran was startled as he looked up to see the older man gently shaking his head. "No," he rasped, the faintest of tears at the corner of his eyes. "My son..," he whispered so quietly Syaoran himself almost missed it. "My son," he began to sob as he embraced the boy.

Syaoran was oblivious as to what was happening. His companions shared his confusion as they watched with mouths agape at the king's actions.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. Elsewhere .-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Nadeshiko sat quietly next to the bed where Sakura lie asleep. After finding her, Nadeshiko and Touya had agreed it to be a good idea to bring her back home and clean her up. His plans for the day long forgotten, Touya had placed Sakura in Nadeshiko's bed upon her request and returned to his own quarters to rest with Kaho.

Nadeshiko had enlisted the help of Kaho and the other girls to take turns keeping an eye on her. They had taken the time to wash her up and wrap her wounds, especially the one on her head. Rika had been kind enough to loan some clothing to replace the tattered remains of what Sakura had been wearing upon arrival. Everyone commented on just how beautiful she was afterwards. With the ash wiped from her face, they could all see her pale porcelain skin, completely clear of flaws or blemishes.

Nadeshiko slowly stroked Sakura's light hair. The soft honey brown reminded her of someone special from long ago. It was a memory that would never fade in pain, and Nadeshiko slowly pushed it from her mind as she sat and contemplated just how old Sakura must be.

"No men allowed," Nadeshiko looked away from Sakura and toward the door as she heard the faint laughter from Touya speaking to someone.

"You're a man too," was the response to him as someone appeared through the doorway. "I heard that you've stumbled upon sleeping beauty," Nadeshiko smiled at the tall young man, his gray hair a dead giveaway to his identity. He scratched sheepishly at his cheek, "Sorry, I couldn't help but enter," he apologized.

"News spreads fast," she said warmly, enjoying the new presence. Nadeshiko had known Yukito for many years now seeing as him and Touya had been friends since childhood.

"Don't act so unfamiliar," Touya scolded as he entered the room behind his friend. Yukito was practically family at this point and he knew it.

Touya's words were unheard though as Yukito was mesmerized by the unconscious girl before him. Touya noticed his intense gaze and howled with laughter, "Stop dreaming, man."

Undeterred by his friend's amusement, Yukito turned to look at him with a determined look. "Want to bet?" he asked.

"You're not serious, are you?" Touya asked, the humor of the situation still strong in his tone.

Nadeshiko shook her head in disbelief over their conversation. Well, boys will be boy, right?

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

**Author's Note: Special thanks to acegirl195**


	8. Reborn

Author's Note: Thank you for my reviewers! :) I hope you like this chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own CCS. I just own the plot.

**The Warrior - Chapter 8: "Reborn"**

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. -.

Something really happened that day, which was a day like no other. The King had entered the house and sat at the table. When Tomoyo placed a drink on the table for him, her hand shook. Outside, the soldiers guarded the house.

"What do you mean?" Syaoran asked through gritted teeth. He stood there facing the King with clenched fist, unable to control his emotion.

The King was silent, his eyes on the table. "Xiao Lang," he spoke finally. As he mentioned the name, memories flashed back through his mind. "Do you know what your name means?"

Syaoran stared at him in disbelief.

"Syaoran. It came from Xiao Lang, which means Little Wolf," he continued, and as he remembered it, he smiled. "I used to tell your mother about the name." And then ambers met ambers. "Your mother, Yelen, is the woman I loved. She left me 20 years ago."

Syaoran was taken aback. He never thought that his mother had hidden this secret for his entire life. He always wondered who his father was. Yet, she would say that his father had died. "No, she wouldn't lie to me," Syaoran hissed.

"No, she didn't have any choice. And in fact, she was still very young when she had you. You have to forgive her," he said. "It was I to blame, for letting her go." His voice was full of regret. "But now you know the truth. I am Li Wei Xiang. I am a King. And you are my son. Syaoran," he stated firmly.

Everyone in the house was speechless. Tomoyo and Eriol felt weak on their knees, never had they thought that they would save the life of His Highness the Prince of Li. No wonder when they saw him for the first time, they thought that his face resembled someone familiar. Yet, they could not figure out who it was. And apparently, it was their King.

Syaoran looked at his father and asked seriously, "Where's my mother?"

"She's in the castle, and she's dead worried about you. We have to go back soon," Li Wei Xiang answered.

Syaoran looked at Eriol and Tomoyo, and then to his father again. "I'm not coming without them." And both Eriol and Tomoyo looked at him in shock.

Li Wei Xiang looked at the two people who had saved his son and understood. He knew what to do. "Of course," was the answer.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- Sakura -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

She opened her eyes slowly, and a face came into view. At first, it was a blur. But then, as it got nearer, she could see clearer: a face of a very beautiful woman.

"Are you okay?" an unfamiliar voice was heard, full of concern.

Two other faces came into view. And this time, it was two young men looking at her behind the woman. She shifted her look to the surroundings, which were all unfamiliar. She looked at the faces again, and uneasiness kicked inside her. She immediately sat up and backed off, pushing her back to the wall, slight fear in her eyes.

"Hey, don't worry. It's okay," the woman said softly and held her hand in hers. Somehow, the tenderness in her voice and the warmth in her eyes managed to calm her down. "I am Nadeshiko, and you're at my house," she explained, and a soft smile touched her lips. "You've been unconscious for a few days. How are you feeling now?"

Yet, Sakura did not answer. She then looked at the two men, who automatically grinned at the same time, awkwardly. When her gaze landed on Yukito, his heart skipped a beat. Those emerald eyes. They were so beautiful, so enchanting. He could not admire them before, since they had been hidden when she was asleep.

A few moments later, Kaho came in, bringing some foods. She was surprised to see that Sakura was awake.

"So, young lady, who are you?" a question left Nadeshiko's lips. "Why did you come here alone?"

Sakura looked confused, and it made them wonder, little did they know that she questioned herself about that. She tried to remember, when an extreme pain hit her head. Touching it, she winced in pain.

"Oh, are you alright?"

She looked at them again, and finally a voice came out from her mouth, "W-who.. " She did not know the answer. "Who am I?" Her voice was broken. She looked at them as if she was the one forcing them to answer.

And their hearts sank.

"Aunt Nadeshiko, it can't be...," Kaho whispered in disbelief and covered her mouth in her hand.

Nadeshiko looked at Sakura closely and found insecurities. Sakura's body started to shake, and she knew it. The girl had lost it: her memory. It was probably because of the injury on her head. "It's okay. Everything's gonna be okay." She hugged her, and when she felt her resistance, she tried to sooth her. "It's okay. We can work it out, slowly."

The rest of them could just stare in silence. They felt sorry for her and could not guess what might have happened.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- Yelen -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Hearing the sound of soldiers announcing the arrival of the king, her eyes snapped open. She saw Mei Lin sleeping next to her. They had been waiting for the King to arrive, and involuntary fell asleep. Now, it was past midnight already. "Mei Lin." She touched her shoulder gently to wake her up. "Your father is here already," she told softly. Mei Lin yawned.

"Father is here?" Mei Lin rubbed her eyes. She slowly sat up on the bed.

Yelen stood up. She looked out of the window and saw the men on horses entering the gate. Her eyes widened. She quickly ran out of the room, downstairs.

"Syaoran!" she cried when she reached the ground floor. She stormed to the door. It opened, revealing the King and her son walking to the entrance, followed by Eriol and Tomoyo with some soldiers behind.

"Mother." Seeing her, Syaoran sped up his pace.

"Oh, thank God." Yelen ran to him and pulled him in a tight hug. "Oh, thank God. You're still alive. I thought I lost you." Tears of joy filled her eyes. She pulled back to touch his face. It was really her son. She felt like she could die because of happiness.

"I'm here, mother." He looked at her and smiled softly, relieved to see her again.

Mei lin came into the site, and as she looked at the scene before her, she sighed in relief. Syaoran's eyes landed on her, and her heart skipped a beat.

'He really looks like father,' she thought, her first impression. And it was not just about the looks, but also his aura, his presence.

Syaoran looked at her in wonder.

"She's Mei Lin, your half sister," Li Wei Xiang explained. When Syaoran heard the mentioning of 'sister', and as he never thought that he would have one, he was a bit startled. "You two are three years apart."

"I'm Syaoran." He stepped closer to her.

When Mei Lin saw his awkward introduction, she almost forced herself not to laugh. She just put on a cute smirk and said, "Glad to have you back, big brother."

As Syaoran heard the last two words, he chuckled a little and said, "Well, thanks." And as Mei Lin saw his smile, she almost died. She cursed under her breath. Damn, who would have thought that she would get a very handsome, gorgeous looking, steaming hot big brother? God had brought him to her, and she would not give him back!

"His room," Li Wei Xiang commanded one of his men, who nodded obediently.

"Please follow me, Your Highness," the person slightly bowed to Syaoran, and as he heard the last word, he winced. He was not used to being called 'Your Highness'.

"And theirs," Li Wei Xiang ordered another man to escort Eriol and Tomoyo, who were still gawking at the surrounding. They had not seen anything like it: the castle. They would never be able to achieve anything like it, that kind of luxury and extravagance, even if they worked for their entire life. They had not spoken any word since they arrived, even to each other.

"This way, Sir, Madam." The man's voice startled them, knocking them back.

"Oh.. yeah. Sorry," Eriol said. He and Tomoyo followed the man, but not before bowing to the King to show their respect. The King just smiled in return.

"Thank you," Yelen said softly to Li Wei Xiang. "Thank you." She meant the words with all her heart. She started to burst in tears again and allowed herself to cry on his chest, not able to contain her joy. She was so glad that they had managed to find their son back.

"You are most welcome," he answered, feeling warm in his heart.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- The following morning. Eriol -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

He knocked the door twice, and a voice answered, "Come in." He opened the door, and Syaoran came into view. The prince had already waked up, looking outside the window at the back of the castle, where some soldiers were practicing with each other.

He turned around. His face brightened. "It's you."

"Yeah." Eriol walked into the room, which was really big and mostly colored in dark green and gold. It was three times bigger than their house back then. "Too much for a day, eh?" he joked.

"Too much," Syaoran answered truthfully, not jokingly. He was once a poor boy, a warrior, and now a prince.

"So, I should call you Your Highness from now on," Eriol said. Syaoran shot him a death glare. "What? I don't want someone chopping my head off if I don't do that to the prince."

"Hell no, I would be the one who will chop your head off if you say that to me." Seeing his irritated expression, Eriol laughed.

"Syaoran, you woke up already?" When Yelen appeared at the door, both of them turned their heads.

"Good morning, mother." Syaoran approached her when she walked into the room. He kissed her on the cheek.

"Good morning, child. How are you feeling?" she asked his condition, since he nearly died because of the incident at the cliff.

"Never better. Eriol is a really good doctor."

Yelen looked at his life saver with a warm smile, and the look she gave told him that she owed him big time. She would even trade it with her life. "Of course, I don't know how to thank you. May God bless you." She took Eriol's hands in hers. He smiled back at her. She then turned to Syaoran again and said, "You know, Sakura thought that she lost you. I think we have to tell her. Maybe Takashi can help. He should know about this too."

Wrong topic. She could see a glimpse of hurt look in those amber eyes, as if someone had just stabbed his heart.

"Takashi knows that I'm still alive. We have to update him again though," was the response. He turned away from her.

Yelen was surprised to hear that. "How did that happen? What about Sakura?"

Silence fell for a few seconds, before Syaoran turned to look at her again, and she knew it. She knew it from his eyes, those painful eyes, that...

"Oh God-" She lifted her hand to her mouth, disbelief in her eyes.

"I lost her." It was barely a whisper that left his mouth. "I lost her, mother." Even the loss of one's beloved could bring tears to the strongest heart, to the most dauntless warrior, ripping his heart apart.

"Oh my.." Yelen was lost for words as she hugged her son. As he buried his face on her neck, she could feel his body shaking, and his hot tears. Knowing that her son was in so much pain, her heart ached.

He was once a little boy, a poor little boy from a village, who decided to risk his life to save a little princess from a Kingdom. Such bravery, that the King assigned him as her warrior, who sacrificed his life as he grew up to become what he should be, to be able to protect her.

He had recklessly allowed the princess to enter deeper into his heart, and she became his life. His life was her, and the things he did were for her.

But he had failed. Failed to protect the life itself, as it had been broken into pieces, so was his heart.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- Tomoeda. A year later -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Her eyes closed, a pair of hands covered them. A soft giggle escaped her lips.

"Are you ready?" a masculine voice whispered in her ear.

"Yes," she answered. When the hands were pulled, two beautiful emerald eyes were exposed. "Oh my God." When she saw what was before her in the center of the room, her breath was caught.

It was a white sculpture, a very beautiful one. To be exact, it was a sculpture of her kneeling on the floor, with the face looking up at the sky, both hands clasped on the chest, as if praying to God. She walked to it and examined every detail, and was truly impressed. It was a masterpiece, handmade, work of art. "Is this me?" she turned around to face him.

The guy nodded with a smile and said, "I made that for you."

She looked at him in disbelief. "Yukito!" Yes, it was Yukito she was talking too. And she, with that honey brown hair, emerald green eyes, should be...

"Lily," Yukito sighed. "I told you I would." Those words melted her heart even more. She jumped at him and hugged him, her legs on his waist. Yukito laughed as he held her body.

"Thank you, my love." She put her arms around his neck, and a charming smile that melted his heart even more. "My amazing fiancé." A ring was on her finger. It was just a cheap regular ring, but it meant a lot to her. The same ring was on Yukito's finger.

"It isn't that good actually. You are far more beautiful than that," he told. As she heard that, she blushed crimson. Ever since she came into his life, he felt so blessed. She was just like an angel sent by God.

"You are the best sculptor I've ever known," she praised him.

"Years and years of practice," he told her. And indeed, he was the best in the land.

"I'm not going to let you sell it" she pouted cutely.

"I'm sorry," was all he said. Her eyes widened, not able to believe that. As he saw her shock expression, he laughed. "I'm not going to sell it to anybody, but I'm afraid that the public will see it."

"You mean?" she asked and got down to her feet.

He held her hands in his and smiled, "The villagers want a sculpture as a symbol of peace for Tomoeda. So, it will be placed at the center of the village, you know, where the fountain is."

"I know. It's beautiful," she gasped.

"It is."

"I can't believe it."

"That the entire village will know how much I love you?" he teased her, and she blushed again. She always hated it that when he teased her, he could see the effect right away. She was so cute when she was shy, that he could not help but pull her into a hug.

"I love you," she said as she hugged him back. He smiled hearing that.

"I love you too, Lily." It was a name the people in Tomoeda called her. On the day when she could not remember who she was and where she came from, she was born as someone else.

And Nadeshiko had named her after a flower. Lily.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- Meanwhile -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The guards bowed when prince Syaoran Li walked through the hall, followed by some soldiers behind. He was dressed in a knight suit. Eriol, who was now in charge as one of his advisors, walked beside him.

"His Highness the Prince of Li has arrived," a soldier announced when the door opened. Inside, tens of soldiers already gathered and stood up. He took a seat at the end of the table, and the rest of them sat back. Eriol stood at his side.

"Is it true?" was the first question that left his mouth. "That Jun has planned to take over a land at the south east?" He had received the information before from Takashi.

A year ago, he had offered Takashi to live with him inside the castle, but his cousin refused. Takashi wanted to get all the information about what was happening in the Kinomoto Kingdom, to help his plan. Nobody in the land of Kinomoto had known that Syaoran was still alive, except Takashi and his mother, that he was an heir of Li who planned to seek revenge.

"There's a high chance for it, Your Highness. We have caught a few of his soldiers coming in and out of a village named Tomoeda," one of the soldiers reported.

"Tell me about it."

"It was a land that has not been conquered by any Kingdom nor Emperor, Sir, a few miles outside the border. None were really cared, because it was such a small land. But in fact, it was a rich land. Lately, it has been showing significant developments, for it has abundant resources," the soldier said.

"Your Highness," another soldier spoke. "We can't let the Kino-" he stopped short when his friend elbowed him. He almost mentioned the name, one that was forbidden for him to say in front of the Prince. Such a name still caused a pain, and that was why the Prince himself preferred to address it as Jun's men rather than Kinomoto. "My apologize, Sir. We can't let Jun's men conquer that land." The soldier cleared his throat.

"You're right," Syaoran said, his voice firm. "Such land would be just a waste in his hands." He thought about the reputation of Kinomoto Kingdom after the death of Fujitaka. "Such a shame." He clenched his fist as he felt his anger rose.

"What's your plan, Syao?" Eriol asked, his voice calm.

Syaoran eyed all the soldiers in the room and stated firmly, "We're going to Tomoeda."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**AN: Special thanks to Captain Zangano**


	9. A Stranger, Or Not?

Disclaimer: I do not own CCS. I just own the plot.

To my reviewers,

**The Warrior - Chapter 9: "A Stranger, Or Not?"**

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. Tomoeda -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

A group of small kids were playing outside their houses. Their shouts and laughter filled the air, then they turned their heads, when they heard the sound of horses coming their way.

It was a group of soldiers on their horses, who halted as they reached the entrance to the village. Amber eyes looked up as he saw the sign 'Tomoeda'.

'Here we are..'

Syaoran led in front as they entered the village, followed by Eriol and the soldiers. They passed by the houses, receiving immediate attention from the villagers. Gasps were heard, as they saw the prince.

"Nice village," Eriol commented. He took a look at the surroundings. They went further in, until they reached a fountain in the middle of the street, at a roundabout.

A white sculpture was placed at the fountain. Syaoran went to take a closer look at it. The sound of water dripping from the fountain broke the silence.

His eyes widened.

No, it could not be. He blinked and tried to regain his vision. What was there before him was a sculpture of a woman, praying to God. And the face… Was it the face of the one he loved? The one he lost. Even the imitation of her could awaken his longing for her, stirring his emotion.

Sakura? He touched the face of the sculpture. His hand shook. Who the hell had made it? Or was it just his hallucination? Maybe his yearning for her had made him insane.

Eriol was wondering what happened to him. "Syao, is everything okay?"

Before Syaoran could answer, another voice spoke.

"It is a symbol of peace for Tomoeda, for us." A little girl had daringly approached him, proud of it. "And also a symbol of love. The sculptor had made it for his beautiful girl." She beamed happily.

"And where is that sculptor?" the question left his lips, even when he did not remember moving them.

"Oh, he lives over there." She pointed one of the houses along the way.

"Hey-" A woman approached them. She pulled the little girl's arm. "My apologies, Your Highness. Please forgive her," she said panicking. She was going to scold her daughter for daring to interrupt him.

"It's okay." Syaoran smiled softly at her. He turned his head again to the direction the little girl had pointed.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. -.

"You won't believe what's happening," Naoko said when she came into the restaurant. She rushed over to her friends.

"What, Naoko?" Rika asked. Seeing the excitement in Naoko's face, she wondered. She was taking the orders from the customers, while Chiharu and Sakura were delivering the foods. Nadeshiko and Kaho, on the other hand, were in the kitchen.

"The prince is here!" Naoko squealed, drawing the attention of their customers as well.

"The prince? Which prince?"

"We don't have any prince, Naoko."

Naoko rolled her eyes. "Of course, we don't. It's the Prince of Li Kingdom. Haven't you heard of him?"

Chiharu and Rika were somehow getting curious, while Sakura cared not.

"I didn't know that Li Kingdom has a prince, but I know that they have a princess. Even if there is a prince, why would he come here?" Rika asked. She came closer to Naoko.

"He is the long lost prince, my friend." Naoko gripped her shoulder. "And I have no idea why he is here, but he is so totally drop- dead-gorgeous," she emphasized the last three words. They had never heard her praising a guy like that before, which meant that he might be really good looking.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Sakura groaned when some customers already bought her friend's words, leaving their tables, checking outside. Why would they be excited to meet someone they hadn't even known?

"C'mon, Lily!" She had no choice but to follow her friends when Chiharu pulled her hand and dragged her outside the restaurant. Apparently, the people already gathered outside their houses. Murmurs, and audible gasps, were heard when they turned their heads to see who were coming.

Syaoran looked at all the villagers who were watching him as he passed by. He noticed some girls drooling over him. Before he could reach the destination that the little girl had pointed out before, someone caught his eyes.

He pulled his horse as he came to a sudden halt. His breath was caught up in his throat.

God...

Sakura was pushed to the front when her friends dragged her along, forcefully. She turned her head to where the horses were coming, and saw a man with chestnut hair looking at her in shock. The other soldiers behind him stopped abruptly on their tracks when they saw him halted.

So, he was the leader of the group. Judging by his appearance, his knight suit, his armors, and wait... his crown? He must have been the prince. Well, she could not say that Naoko was lying when she said that he was gorgeous. Yet, she was wondering. If he was the prince, then why would he look at her in shock?

She gulped when the prince pushed his horse to come closer to her. People around her scattered aside.

Those amber eyes, intense amber eyes, looked into her deeply. They were so piercing, that she felt like breaking their eye contacts. Still, she could not do it. She was too scared to break it.

"Sakura?" came his low, husky voice as he whispered to himself.

Eriol, who was just beside him, was startled hearing the name. He wondered if Syaoran had gotten mad, but as he looked at his expression, he did not dare to interrupt.

She stepped back when Syaoran got off from his horse. He walked to her. Loud gasps were heard. Her friends looked at them, openmouthed.

Syaoran looked at the girl before him. His heart beat fast, so fast, that he was afraid that it was going to explode. No, it could not be possible. But it was her. He could swear. It was her. That honey brown hair, those beautiful emerald eyes, those lips, that face, that figure. Everything about her. Was his Sakura.

Sakura looked at the man before her. His expression was just like she had shot a bullet through his head. She gasped when he pulled her to him, into a tight hug.

He was even more sure when he hugged her that she was her. "Oh my God. I thought I lost you," he whispered in her ear. His voice was full of emotion he could not control. She frowned when he tightened his hug on her.

"No!" She pushed him away and broke free from his arms. She stepped back. He was taken aback by her response and looked at her, confused.

He tried to believe his eyes. What was it? From the look of her face, she was rather... scared. She was frightened.

Before he could open his mouth again, Kaho and Nadeshiko appeared at the door after hearing the fuss. "What happened?" Nadeshiko asked. Worry was written all over her face. She and Kaho gasped in surprise when they saw the prince.

Sakura hurriedly went to Nadeshiko and gripped her arm tightly, shaking. Nadeshiko was wondering what was wrong.

"His Highness the Prince of Li," Eriol finally introduced. He knew that Syaoran was unable to speak. "We are coming from the Kingdom to check around this village." He stopped the sentence and looked at Sakura, who was clinging to Nadeshiko. "May we know who she is?"

Sakura tightened her grip on Nadeshiko's arm. She was scared, and Nadeshiko sensed this. Looking at the men before them, she answered, "She's my daughter."

Syaoran could not believe what he heard. What kind of nonsense was that? She was Sakura. It was undeniable.

Sakura braced herself to look at his face again. She had not met him before. She did not know him. Or did she? She felt a strange emotion kicking inside her. Her pulse quickened, and suddenly it was harder to breath.

She felt something like this before. Yet, it seemed so far away, so long ago. Those intense amber eyes, and his expression. She wished he could stop doing that to her. It was not like she had not seen those eyes before, but where did she see them? And when?

She tried to remember when an extreme pain suddenly hit her head. She winced in pain as she touched it. It was so painful, that she felt like the world was falling apart. Nadeshiko caught her immediately.

"Lily!" her friends shouted her name when she collapsed in Nadeshiko's arms. People started to become loud, whispering and talking to each other.

Syaoran's heart almost stopped when he saw her collapsing. Yet, before he could move, the girls had already brought her inside. "Wait!"

And Lily. It was not her name, right? Did he mistake her as someone else? Not a chance.

"Wait." He came inside and caught Chiharu's arm while she was following the girls carrying Sakura. The restaurant was connected to Nadeshiko's house, and they were going to bring her to her room. Outside, the soldiers blocked the other villagers, who were so anxious about what was happening, from entering the house. Eriol followed Syaoran inside.

Chiharu's heart pounded hard when the prince pulled her arm. 'The-prince-is-touching-my-arm!' She was getting hysterical inside.

Syaoran gave him a look that said 'Can you tell me what's going on?', but she threw him back a look that said, 'Well, can YOU tell me what's going on?'

"Who is she?"

Chiharu looked at him in confusion. "Uh.. you mean.. Lily?"

"No, she's not Lily." Syaoran stated, emphasizing the word 'not'. Oh, how she liked the firmness, the strength in his masculine voice as he said that, just suitable for a prince. But then, she quickly pushed her thoughts away.

"She IS Lily," Chiharu raised her voice, clearing her throat. "At least, that's what we know. We know her as Lily." What was his problem actually?

Syaoran was lost for words. Something like that could not possibly happen, could it? He tried to deny what he thought at that moment. She could not possibly...

"She's not actually been here forever, has she?" He looked for an answer. "How long have you known her?"

Chiharu was hesitated to tell at first. She wondered whether it was a good thing or not to tell the prince about that. But his menacing eyes, forced her not to lie. "One year ago."

"How?" he kept going.

"Uh.." She tried to find her voice. "Aunt Nadeshiko found her in front of her house when she was badly injured. And since then, she's been living with us. She's part of our family now."

He felt his heart beating faster. He knew what was going to come next. "Why didn't she try to come back to where she's from?"

"She didn't know."

And the answer stabbed his soul.

"None of us know. She lost her memory." Chiharu wondered why he wanted to know about that. What was his purpose anyway? Suddenly, a thought came across her mind. "Don't tell me.." And her eyes widened as she thought about that. "You know her?" She could not believe that the prince might have known her. "You know who she really is?" Now, it was her turn to force an answer.

But Syaoran was too shocked to swallow the truth. Such a cruel thing could not happen to her, to his Sakura. What was she saying? That Sakura had lost her memory? That she had forgotten everything? Everything about her family, her kingdom, herself, and him? Yes, including him. She forgot about him too.

She forgot about the two of them.

"Your Highness!" He could hear Chiharu shouting at him, still waiting for an answer, knocking him back to reality. But no, he could not tell her who she really was. He could not tell anyone in the village. Not when Jun was coming here. One word about her, spread through the entire village, and her life would be in danger.

He walked out the house, leaving Chiharu, who immediately ran after him. Too bad for her, one of the soldiers blocked her when she tried to reach him.

"Syao.." Eriol was lost for words. He had heard everything. What was he going to do?

"We'll come back here," he stated, his fist clenched on his side. "We'll come back." He would not let Jun find her, nor lay his hand on her. He would not let the horrible King conquer Tomoeda. Ever.

Eriol looked at his eyes and found the difference. They were back. Those ambers were back to life.

He had found his princess.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. Later that night -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Sakura opened her eyes slowly, only to find the worried face of her fiancé, who was holding her hand in his. The girls had laid her down on the bed in Nadeshiko's room, where she had been sleeping every night with her.

"Oh, you had me worried sick." Yukito was so relieved that she finally woke up, bringing himself closer to the bed, and hugged her. He pressed his lips hard on her forehead and said, "Don't you ever do that to me again." He locked eyes with hers.

She smiled, feeling his love for her, and said, "It's a punishment for you. Where have you been for the whole day? I missed you so much," she confessed, in a cute way.

"I'm sorry. I was helping Touya inside the woods. He got this huge order, and I need some of his materials too for my next project," he explained, not wanting her to be sad. "I may be stuck with him for just a couple of days."

Her heart sank hearing that. She felt insecure when he was not around, especially since her encounter with the prince earlier today. She never wanted to meet that man ever again.

"What's wrong?" he asked worriedly, touching her face gently.

"Nothing. I just hope you could stay with me, even just for a while," she smiled sadly.

"I can be here all night long and watch you sleep," he said, telling her the truth. "Only if Nadeshiko didn't kick me out of her room," he joked, and she laughed hearing that.

"That can be arranged," she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck, his breath caught as he took in all her beauty. "I think she wouldn't mind sleeping with Kaho. Just kick Touya out of the room."

"Ouuch, that was harsh. I feel sorry for him," he said, making her laugh even more. Her laughter was just like a melody to his ear.

He smiled at her, and then sighed as he placed his head on her neck, closing his eyes. Sakura was afraid that he could hear her heartbeats. She really liked him and hoped that they could get married soon.

"I can't wait for us to get married." But he said those words first. She was surprised and thought that it was like some kind of magic. "I know I'm still working on the house and all, but.." They planned to build a house for themselves, as Yukito now was still living with his grandfather, and she with Nadeshiko, Kaho and Touya. "I want to have you all for myself."

"So do I," she said, making his eyes snap open. "Let's not wait any longer." She wanted to be with him too. Ever since she lost her memory, he had always been there for her. He had helped her walk out of the darkness, of the sorrow, and of her loneliness. And he was the one she would want to spend her entire life with.

He lifted his head up and looked at her seriously. "I'll try to come back early tomorrow, and then we can gather our family to talk about it."

She smiled at him and nodded. Happiness was all over his face, before he hugged her again.

She sighed dreamily as she lay there on the bed, in the arms of the man she loved. Suddenly, a face appeared on her mind. That piercing amber eyed, unruly chestnut haired man she met earlier, with that expression on his face as if she had done an awful sin to him. That disturbing expression, which really got on her nerves.

No way. Who the hell was he? She touched Yukito's back as she hugged him back. She was not going to let that stranger's face ruined this moment. Who the hell did he think he was?

Who..?

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. Syaoran -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

He cursed after he finished reading the letter from Takashi. Jun was going to take a bold step to take over Tomoeda. He, the King of Kinomoto, would come there with his army, in two days.

Syaoran could not let Jun step inside the land, right when Sakura was still there. How could he protect her without causing harm and chaos in the village?

The thought of Sakura being in danger itself made it difficult for him to get his mind clear. He had to do something. Fast.

"Eriol," he called, and his friend stepped closer to him. "I've a plan." And he knew that this was a way to keep her safe, but she was going to hate him for sure. Yes, she would now, at her present state.

But he would rather make her hate him than to lose her again.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. The following morning -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Sakura breathed in the cool air, feeling fresh. She stepped outside the house to take a morning walk in the village. She felt so much better now after the incident the day before. Yukito and Touya had left for work, and she could not wait for his fiancé to come home early today, as they had agreed before.

She continued her steps until she found the fountain at the middle of the village, and smiled as she looked at the sculpture on it. Never had she thought that someone would make such a beautiful thing for her. As Yukito had said before, it was a symbol of his love for her, and she would treasure it forever.

She laughed when she saw the children playing happily with each other around her, running and laughing.

Suddenly, they stopped what they were doing, so did Sakura, when some men on horses coming their way. 'No, they were the same people like yesterday,' she thought. The children quickly scattered and ran back home to their mothers.

Sakura frowned when he saw the man who had bothered her the day before got closer, the Prince of Li. 'What does he want now?' she asked herself.

"We meet again," he said, and she stepped back "Sakura."

'What? What did he call me? Sakura? Who is she?'

She did not know why this man kept saying things she did not understand, and she hated that.

He looked at the sculpture and his eyes changed, turning cold. That sculpture should not exist. He would not let Jun see it. Once the King saw it, he would hunt her down, destroying this village.

He glanced back at his soldiers behind and said, "Get her out of the way." He took a spiked flail from the soldier beside him: a weapon consisted of a giant steel ball, with spikes, attached with a chain to a shaft. It was a powerful weapon.

Sakura screamed when two soldiers caught her arms and dragged her further from the sculpture. Her eyes widened in horror when Syaoran aimed the flail to the sculpture. The steel ball hit it hard, destroying it into pieces. The sound of it being crashed and shattered was so loud, even the entire village could hear it. People screamed in fear.

And the scene tore up her heart. It was a gift from her beloved. How dared he do that? How could he? She felt her body shaking, as it was consumed with rage.

"What have you done," she cried, her voice filled with tremor, eyes with hatred. The two soldiers kept holding her arms when she tried to break free.

Syaoran turned around, and he was hurting inside as he looked at her. He had never seen Sakura looking at him like that before, like he was the worst person ever existed.

She did not know why he did such a cruel thing to her. What had she done wrong? She did not even know him. "What do you want from us?" Her voice was low, her eyes teary. Yet, she would not let her tears fall in front of him.

He approached her on his horse and said, "There are two reasons why I came here. The first one is to destroy that thing, which I just did."

Sakura looked at him in disbelief, and her anger rose hearing that.

"And the second one is to take you with me, like it or not" he finished the sentence, and those words almost killed her.

"Why should I go with you-you, you bastard, evil, evi-" she could not finish her sentence, for he pulled her up forcefully onto the horse, and made her sit on his lap with both legs dangling on one side.

"Because we're going to get married," Syaoran answered with a smirk on his face as he reined his horse to depart. Sakura thought that he was crazy. Why in the world would she get married to someone like him? She tried to get off and escape, but he was too strong.

"No, no. Let me go!" Her screams filled the air as he rode the horse with her, taking her away from Tomoeda.

.

**AN: Special thanks to Captain Zangano**


	10. Our Wedding Day

**The Warrior – Chapter 10: "Our Wedding Day"**

Disclaimer: I do not own CCS, I just own the plot.

-_-_-_-_-_-_- Li Kingdom -_-_-_-_-_-_-

She continued crying after the prince had taken her into the castle forcefully, and locked her inside a room.

She was being kidnapped even though she didn't know why. She couldn't believe that she was being forced to marry the prince whom she did not even know or love. There would be no escape, and she knew it.

Her sobbing stopped when she heard someone unlocking the door from the outside. '_Who could that be?'_She stepped away from the bed, creating more distance from the door as fear started to build inside her.

Yelen came into view, and gasped when she saw Sakura, not believing her eyes.

It really was the princess whom she thought to be dead. Her son had asked her to go see Sakura herself. She knew by looking at Sakura's condition right now that he had sent her there to calm her down, because he couldn't do it himself.

Sakura stepped back as she saw Yelen coming in, her legs shaking as she moved.

"Oh, my dear princess," Yelen touched her face. Her son was right; she had lost her memory. Yelen could see the fear in her eyes, and that she didn't recognize her anymore.

"W-who are you?" Sakura choked between sobs.

Yelen looked at her sadly, "It's okay, you can trust me. I'm Yelen, by the way, and I'm not going to hurt you," Yelen had an aura that somehow reminded her of Nadeshiko's tenderness and warmth.

"What will happen to me?"

Yelen smiled softly as she took Sakura's hand in hers, and sat on the bed. Sakura fell to her knees and looked up at her.

"Nothing bad will happen to you, my dear," was her answer.

"But-," Sakura tried to argue.

"Shhh, you have to understand. If anything happens to you, it'd be nothing bad. He will make sure of that."

"He?" Sakura looked at her in question.

Yelen sighed, " The Prince."

Now Sakura was even more confused. The prince would make sure that nothing bad happens to her? Was she kidding? He was the one responsible for the bad things happening to her!

"The prince is my son," Sakura's eyes widened in shock as she heard that. "I know him more than anyone else does. I know him so well, and you do too," Yelen continued.

Sakura was startled by the last sentence. How could she know him too?

"What do you mean?" She didn't understand. She suddenly froze as a thought crossed her mind, and she uttered the words, "Are you talking about my past?"

Yelen sighed, and then nodded. Now she could see disbelief and doubt in those emerald eyes. "I don't know if I should tell you about your past yet. Some memories are just so painful that you may want to forget them," she thought about what had happened to her Kingdom, and to her father.

The betrayal of her family, and the bloodshed in Kinomoto Kingdom were painful memories.

"But one thing is for sure; you have to trust him. You have to trust my son, Sakura," she mentioned her name, making her aware.

Sakura. That was what he'd called her before when he came to destroy the sculpture. Was it her real name?

Her mind still fought against everything that had been thrown upon her.

"But...I can't trust him," She looked at Yelen, defending herself. "He took me away from my family, and destroyed the thing I cherished the most! He took me away from the people I love. Those people, they saved my life! Without them, I-I…" she tried to find her voice. A tear made its way down her cheek, followed by another, and another.

"I know," Yelen only smiled from her words, "And he's thankful to them for saving your life, my dear, even more than you are. What he's doing to you right now is for your own good. He's doing this to protect you." She caressed her hair gently before standing up, "Remember, you have to trust him."

Sakura stood up when Yelen turned around and walked toward the door. "No, wait! Please! Help me," she begged desperately.

Yelen stopped when she touched the door knob, and turned to look at her again. There was sadness in her eyes as she thought about her son, "Oh, and his name is Syaoran," she gave one last smile, before turning the door knob, and walking out of the room.

"No, wait!" Sakura cried as she heard the door being locked again from the outside. "No, please!" She fell to her knees.

Her sobs filled the room. _Syaoran was his name._

_…Syaoran?_

Her heart suddenly ached as she said his name. Had it ached for that name before? Had she spoken that name with her heart before?

She didn't know if she had.

It was not just one time, but thousands of times. Even when she thought that she'd lost him, when she thought that he'd died, and when she thought that he would come back to her if she called for him.

_Syaoran…_

-_-_-_-_-_-_- Later that night: Tomoeda -_-_-_-_-_-_-

The atmosphere in Nadeshiko's house was tense. A small group of people had gathered there including her, Touya, Kaho, Yukito, Rika, Naoko and Chiharu. They had all heard from the villagers about what had happened earlier in the morning, about how the prince had kidnapped Sakura.

"I can't take it anymore," Yukito, who had been pacing around, finally said. "I'm going there now," A hand grabbed his shoulder as he headed toward the door. He turned around, and it was Touya.

"You're not thinking rationally," Touya's voice was serious, his eyes telling him to consider another option.

"But I can't just be here and do nothing!" He couldn't take his mind off what could happen to Sakura, and what the prince could do to her. He should have taken it more seriously when he had noticed her worry after the incident with the prince the day before. It was just last night when they had agreed to get married soon, to have each other for the rest of their lives, and now she's just disappeared.

"Touya's right, you're not thinking clearly. You have to remember that he is a prince of a kingdom! I'm not talking about just any kingdom either. I'm talking about the Li Kingdom, which as we all know, is one of the most powerful kingdoms to ever exist," Kaho tried to knock some sense into her husband's best friend.

"You're going to have the whole Li army against you if you dare cross him," Touya added.

"But-"

"Stop, Yukito. They're right, we must find another way," even Nadeshiko, the only person other than him who worried about Sakura the most, said. "We will get her back, but not recklessly," She tried to look calm, but her voice was shaky. Sakura was like her very own daughter already.

Suddenly, they heard a soft sob in the room.

"Chiharu," Rika hugged her friend who was now crying on her shoulder. "Shhh… Don't worry. We'll get her back just like Aunt Nadeshiko said," She patted her back as she tried to sooth her.

"That's right, Chiharu. We have to believe that she will get through this," Naoko added, tears starting to form in her eyes as well.

"It's all my fault."

"What?" They could barely hear Chiharu's whisper.

"It's all my fault!" she suddenly cried out, her sobs getting louder.

"Chiharu, what do you mean that it's your fault? It's none of our faults," Rika said.

"No! It's all my fault! I shouldn't have spoken to the prince! I shouldn't have told him anything. Now Lily is gone, and it's all because of me," Her words surprised them all.

"Chiharu, what the hell do you mean?" Yukito asked with panic, his hands gripping her shoulders. "What did you do? What did you say to the prince?"

Chiharu looked up at Yukito, tears streaming down her cheeks, and her eyes full of guilt and regret. "It was when they met for the first time. The prince was asking me-" She choked as she tried to catch her breath, "The prince was asking me how long I had known Lily, and how we found her. He knew that she hadn't been here from the start. He said that she's not Lily. I-I think that he's someone from her past."

"Why though? The prince of the Li Kingdom and her, how do they know each other?" Nadeshiko asked in disbelief.

No one, of course, was able to answer that question.

Yukito cursed under his breath. "Why? Why did you have to tell him everything? Why, Chiharu, why!?" he bit out. He wasn't going to let anybody take his fiancée away from him, whether it was someone from her past, or not. She belonged with him now, and she always would.

Chiharu's sobs became uncontrollable. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't want to tell him at first, but you should have seen him at that time. He kept asking me, and the way he did, I was scared to lie to him."

"Chiharu!" Yukito roared.

"Yukito," Touya pulled him away from Chiharu. He thought Yukito was being too harsh on her. The girl was already blaming herself for what had happened.

"No… Lily…" Yukito fell to his knees and hit his fist against the floor, causing it to bleed.

They were speechless.

Their Lily was gone, and they did not know how to bring her back.

-_-_-_-_-_-_- Syaoran -_-_-_-_-_-_-

He opened the door silently, only to find Sakura had fallen asleep with her head on the bed, but her knees on the floor. She was already too tired from crying, and yelling for someone to open the door.

He walked carefully toward her as to not wake her, and carried her in his arms.

He laid her on the bed, and pulled the cover over her body. Watching as she slept, he gently removed the strand of honey brown hair that had fell on her cheek. He could see from her face that she had been crying a lot.

His heart ached from knowing that he was the cause of her pain. It hurt that she had forgotten about him, though it hurt him more when he had to hurt her.

"Forgive me, Sakura," he whispered, "I can't find any other way." He caressed her hair gently as he spoke. "Be strong, Sakura. Be strong," he whispered so softly that it almost couldn't be heard. "You can do it. You're not alone, because I'm here."

He touched her cheek gently as he brushed his lips against her forehead before continuing to watch her sleep.

-_-_-_-_-_-_- The following morning -_-_-_-_-_-_-

She was a bride for the second time. A bride was supposed to be happy, yet her tears fell as the ring, though it was cheap, was pulled forcefully from her finger.

Tomoyo and Mei Lin exchanged worried looks as they saw the grief shrouding the bride. Shouldn't she be happy? She was finally able to marry the man she used to adore so much.

"Can we go now?" Tomoyo asked softly, and Sakura just nodded as she cried silently.

Now that they had finished getting her ready, Sakura slowly exited the room, followed by Tomoyo and Mei Lin. They walked through the corridor of the castle, then at the end, stepped onto the ground outside.

Rows of people stood along the path, and threw her their smiles as she stepped closer to the altar. She couldn't bare to look straight ahead though, so she only looked down.

When her legs stopped, she looked up, and saw those amber eyes.

"You're really beautiful, Sakura," she hated that voice, yet it seemed so honest.

She had no choice but to face him.

The priest then said, "Dearly beloved, we are gathered today to join this man and this woman together. In this holy estate, these two come now to be joined. If any man can show just cause as to why these two may not be joined together, let him speak now, or forever hold his peace."

Hearing no one interrupt, the priest continued.

"To the groom, will you have this woman to be your wedded wife, to live together? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, will you keep only unto her, as long as you both shall live?"

It was such a holy sentence, yet so despicable for Sakura. That question shouldn't be asked in front of her, not here, not in front of that man.

She heard the prince say his vow, "I will."

She shut her eyes as the priest repeated the sentence for her, a sentence which would change her life forever, and one which would imprison her. How she wanted to disappear at that moment.

"To the bride, will you have this man to be your wedded husband, to live together? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, will you keep only unto him, as long as you both shall live?"

Her eyes become teary again as she opened them, so that in front of her, behind the groom, she could see Yelen's face.

Yelen nodded, with a smile on her lips, even though her eyes were also tearful. "_Remember, you have to trust him_."

Did she have another choice the time? No, she had none.

"I will," the words left her lips as a tear rolled down her cheek.

"With this ring, I wed thee," they placed their wedding rings on each other's fingers, those decent enough to be possessed by the members of the Li clan, rings that were so beautiful in the eyes of every men and women, except for her.

"Because you have consented together to holy wedlock, and have witnessed the same before God and this company, and have given and pledged your loyalties one to the other, and have evidenced this by the giving and receiving of rings and joining hands, by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you as husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride," the priest said.

As the prince moved closer, she could not see his face, she hated him too much to look at him. She could feel his breath at that moment, and as his lips grew closer, she turned her face so that the kiss landed on her cheek.

Syaoran only smiled at her reaction, and chuckled lightly.

_What a jerk. How can he still laugh after all of the things he's done to me? How I want to slap him right now!_

"Do you have to ruin our wedding day, Sakura? You don't know how long we've been waiting for a day like this," he whispered in her ear playfully.

_He can still joke about that? What a bastard!_

Sakura looked up again, and saw that face smiling down at her. She would make sure that that face wouldn't smile at her like that again, it really disturbed her.

All they heard after that was the applause from the audience and everyone who had come to their little wedding ceremony. It was such a little wedding ceremony for a crowned prince.

Syaoran turned to his father, the king, who was sitting in the front row. Both of them understood as they exchanged looks that the prince had matters to settle, not as a prince, but as a man.

-_-_-_-_-_-_- . -_-_-_-_-_-_-

**SLAP!**

A slap landed on his cheek as the bride finally snapped the moment they were inside the room. "Are you satisfied now, _your Highness_?" she emphasized the last two words, showing him how much she hated those words.

Syaoran could only touch his cheek, his eyes looking over the anger written all over her face. He had no intention of making her mad, but he had no other choice. "Yes, you could say so," he grinned before continuing, "Oh and you don't have to call me by that title, _my wife,_" he emphasized the last two words.

"You really are a crazy person!"

"Thank you," A short answer that was followed by a smirk.

"You think you can have me? You're wrong! You're not ever going to have me because my heart is not for you, but for somebody else!" she let out all of her anger. She took off the wedding ring, which she thought as insignificant, and pulled his hand out to put it on his palm. Syaoran simply pulled on her wrist, and brought her face closer to his.

"And who would that be? Not me?" His expression looked as if he was sad about it, but his voice was so serious. Yet it all crumbled when a playful grin came back to his face.

"You!" Sakura pulled herself away from the prince and said, "You! I'd never want to live together with you!"

"I'm hurt," another not so serious response from him.

_Does he think that this is all a joke? So impossible!_

Sakura looked around the room, which really was extravagant, and should be for the both of them, and quickly made her point, "Listen, I won't ever stay in this room with you. So, I'm going now-"

"If you said so, baby," He lifted his hands up as if in surrender, and stepped back. "You don't have to go out of this room. I'll be the one leaving," he told her. He could sleep in his previous room anyway. "But are you sure that you want me to leave?" he asked, putting on an innocent look. She knew he was going to tease her.

"More than sure-"

"Because, you know, I can make you—"

"Stop it!"

"Like, when you're lonely, and need some warmth—"

"Enough!"

"Or when you need your husband to—"

"Syaoran!" she spoke his name. Her cheeks were red from his words. She hadn't even realized that she had said his name out loud. She was so angry that –

"Say it again?" Now he couldn't hide his overflowing emotions, a smile on his lips without even realizing it. It had been such a long time since he had heard his name from her lips.

"What are you—?"

"My name, say it again."

"Do you think you're—"

"Do I have to tease you again?" he coughed. "Like that, baby?"

"You!" And that moment, she really wanted to kill him. She was panting from screaming so loud, and Syaoran couldn't hold back his laughter.

"You're very cute, my wife."

Sakura hadn't realized that those words made her face turn crimson with embarrassment. What an extremely annoying man, and they had just married!

Syaoran took a step closer, and Sakura immediately took a retreating step. "Don't you dare come closer!"

With everything happening between them, her mixed up and uncontrolled emotions and rage, as well as her natural instinct to protect herself, Sakura, without thinking, reached for the closest vase on the cabinet, and threw it with all her might onto the floor, causing it to break into pieces.

Syaoran was quite taken back by her bold move.

"Ouch!" She winced in pain as she saw blood coming from her finger. Apparently, a sharp piece of the vase was thrown back, and pierced her skin.

"What did you do?" Syaoran quickly approached her, and saw the cut on her finger. "Shit," he cursed. "Did you even think before you did that?" he snapped so loud that it made her jump, and almost forgot about the pain in her finger. "Don't you ever do this kind of thing again! Do you understand?" he quickly took out a handkerchief from his pocket, and wiped the blood from her finger. He then wrapped it tightly around the wound so that the blood stopped pouring out.

"I'm sorry," Sakura involuntary apologized. Wait, why did she have to apologize? Wasn't she the one hurting herself? Why did she have to apologize because she made him worry?

At that moment she cried, not because of the pain, but from her fear. Syaoran looked up at her, and his eyes softened as he looked at her crying.

"Shhh, it's okay," He hugged her body so she could cry on his broad chest.

Apparently this girl was only getting more confused. Who the hell was this man who had forcefully married her?

Someone who only smiled when she threw him daggers, and who became angry when she hurt herself.

_Who the hell?_

-_-_-_-_-_-_- . -_-_-_-_-_-_-

_She saw a lake, a beautiful lake._ _The sound of humming was heard, and so she turned. _

_A little girl._

_There was a little girl sitting on the grass._ _Curious, she approached the little girl from behind and asked, "Hey, what are you doing?"_

_The little girl turned to her and smiled. She had a pair of beautiful emerald eyes, and her hair was honey brown; she was very pretty. "Look!"_ _The little girl showed her a necklace of colorful flowers which she had made by herself, and put it around her neck._

_"Wow, thank you."_

_The little girl smiled from hearing her gratitude, "It's for you, so that you won't be sad anymore."_

_She was stunned, "How did you know that I was sad?"_

_"It's clear, isn't it?" She smiled. "You must be feeling lonely not knowing what to do, right? Don't worry; everything will be alright as long as you're with him."_

_Impossible. How did she know exactly how she was feeling, and what did she mean by she always having to be by his side? Not long after that, the girl looked like she was going to leave._

_"Oh, wait. Where are you going? Who are you?" she tried to stop her. _

_The little girl turned around, and smiled at her again before saying, "Don't worry. I'm just leaving for a while. You're going to find me, right? That's what I'm hoping for."_

_There was suddenly a young boy with a messy chestnut hair, and intense eyes behind the little girl. "Syaoran!" the little girl called him, joy written all over her face as she looked at him. The young boy smirked at her, and extended his hand to the little girl._

_"I have to go now. See you later."_

_"Wait a moment!"_

_"Sooner or later you'll know who I am," was the little girl's last sentence before everything turned dark._

Sakura opened her eyes. It was just had a dream. She had seen a little girl, and it seemed like she knew her.

The little girl went away with a young boy named Syaoran. Even in her dreams that annoying name still bothered her.

Sakura couldn't sleep anymore, all her tiredness gone after that dream, and she was still in this unfamiliar room. Oh, how she missed Nadeshiko's room. She missed her, she even missed Touya who sometimes liked to bully her. She missed her girlfriends Kaho, Chiharu, Rika, and Naoko. Whom she missed the most however, was her lover, Yukito.

_Yukito, I'm sorry._She couldn't run away from her fate that for right now they had to part, that right now she belonged to someone else. A shroud of sorrow started to wrap itself around her as she remembered the face of her lover. _I'm sorry for betraying you._No, her heart hadn't betrayed him. Despite the fact that she couldn't do anything, her heart was still Yukito's.

Sakura knew that she would only cry if she thought about him. She decided to get up from her bed, and went to wash her face.

-_-_-_-_-_-_- . -_-_-_-_-_-_-

_"Please believe me Syaoran, I didn't—"_

_"You betrayed me."_

He continued tossing in his sleep, completely restless.

_"What is it, Tak?"_

_"The King wants her dead."_

Sweats started to dampen his head, his face, and his entire body. Every organ in his body repelled. No, he didn't want to dream about this anymore.

_"It's horrible. I heard they burned her alive in the forest."_

_"My Lord, that's so cruel. What is happening to our kingdom?"_

No, anything but this. Stop it. Stop it right now! He wouldn't be able to go through this anymore.

_"SAKURA!" he screamed out her name, hugging the dead, burned body. No, he didn't want to believe what had happened, that she was gone, that she had left him forever. "No, no GOD PLEASE," he cried out, feeling numb._

_He felt his entire body shaking with rage he could not control. It was the fact he could not deny, that she had died tragically. He kept holding the dead body in his arms as he cried._

"Stop!" Syaoran snapped out of his dream, and sat up in his bed. Yes, it was a horrible nightmare. He was still panting, his heart pounding so hard that his chest hurt like hell.

There was sweat all over his body. He still couldn't differentiate between reality and the dream.

Sakura was gone? No, Sakura couldn't possibly leave him. It seemed like the incident with the fire had just happened, his entire body still shaking, just like when he had held the corpse in his arms.

He stood from his bed, his body still out of balance, but he didn't care. He quickly slammed the door open, and stormed through the dark hallway of the castle. Further and further, he continued walking, and looking for a door, a door which would lead him to reality, to release him from this nightmare.

**SLAM!**

He broke into the room forcefully. A small scream was heard, and those emerald eyes looked at him in disbelief and anger.

"You! What are you doing? You really—" Sakura didn't know what to say anymore when Syaoran broke down her door all of a sudden. She had locked it from the inside for safety, but now she knew that it was not going to save her.

Syaoran didn't care though. He didn't care about her insults as he stormed into her room, and grabbed her arm, pulling her into a tight hug as if he never wanted to let her go.

He knew that Sakura existed, there with him, breathing in his arms. He could feel the warmth of her body, and hear her voice still shouting at him. Sakura was real. Sakura hadn't died.

"Get off me—"

"Please, just for a moment," It was a whisper, and if she was not mistaken, even a small cry.

She got her answer when she felt something warm on the back of her neck, something warm and wet; his tears.

Syaoran was crying. The prince was crying, and silently hugging her.

Their closeness caught Sakura's breath. She could feel his warm body, smell his scent, and even feel his emotions.

_This…_

Suddenly, the voice of the little girl in her dream echoed at the back of her mind.

_"Syaoran!"_it was the voice of the little girl calling his name, followed by joyful laughter.

-_-_-_-_-_-_- . -_-_-_-_-_-_-

AN:

A big special thanks to all of you who reviewed this story! I really appreciate your comments.

Okay, even though I was being mean to Syaoran and Sakura, don't worry… I'm still a Syaoran's die-hard fan! LOL. So, don't worry… that's the only thing I can say for now.

So, what do you want for the next chapter? More S&S?

**Special thanks to acegirl195**


	11. The Hidden Past

AN: Hey guys, sorry for the delay. Work has really taken my time, but now I finally manage to upload the next chapter. I hope you'll like this one.

Well, enjoy the story ;)

Disclaimer: I do not own CCS. (I WISH I OWN SYAORAN, BUT HE BELONGS TO CLAMP)

**The Warrior – Chapter 11 : "The Hidden Past"**

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Sakura

.

She walked through the castle corridor; admittedly the place was truly beautiful. She had been living in a small village, and had no memory of ever seeing a castle so majestic. She shifted her eyes to the yard at the side of the castle, and saw some soldiers practicing.

"Hey," a voice startled her, and a girl with crimson eyes and black hair suddenly popped up in front of her, "Sakura! So did you sleep soundly last night?"

Ah yes, Mei Lin. The girl who helped her in getting ready before the wedding ceremony, and if Sakura was not mistaken, Syaoran's sister.

"Uh, well sort of," She was reluctant to say that she couldn't sleep well since her brother had suddenly broken into her room, and cried while hugging her in the middle of the night.

What an insecure prince.

"I hope you'll like living here. I also hope that we can be good friends," Mei Lin grinned, and pulled on her hand. Sakura was starting to grow fond of her; she was being so nice and friendly. "Come on, let's watch Syaoran practicing!" Without waiting for Sakura's answer, she dragged her toward the yard where the soldiers were practicing. That wasn't a good move though as Sakura's mood immediately changed when Mei Lin called his name.

They stood at the edge of the yard. It was unfortunate for Sakura as the prince stepped into site, all the soldiers automatically stopping what they were doing, and bowing to show him respect.

"Your Highness!"

"Okay, who's first?" Syaoran asked his soldiers. "Today, as a warm up, I prefer without swords," He sighed, before adding, "I really need this right now." It seemed like entertainment for him, but Sakura could see the unwillingness on the soldiers' faces to be knocked out and bruised.

Syaoran was getting ready, making small jumps, and warming up his feet. What surprised Sakura was the way he expertly took off his top, and threw it to the ground.

She suddenly felt hot air hitting her face, and damn, it must have been red by now, because although she was reluctant to admit it, his shirtless body was like the body of a true soldier. He looked like a knight who had endured many practices and fights. She hated to say it, but that was the body of a true man.

_Damn_.

"Joe?" Syaoran called one of the soldiers who smirked when he heard him.

"Yes sir!" was the loud response as the soldier stood to be the prince's opponent.

Syaoran smirked back, and it was at that moment when he turned his body to face the soldier, that Sakura saw it very clearly.

A scar on the back of his shoulder; a terrible scar like one caused by a predator.

Mei Lin noticed the expression on her face and asked, "What's the matter?" Sakura only looked shocked and completely stunned, which made Mei Lin wonder. "What is it? Do you remember something?"

Sakura quickly looked away from the scar on his body though she wasn't sure why. Why couldn't she look at it? The scar was frightening. Yes; it must have been because of that.

Sakura didn't watch as Syaoran fought his opponent. He expertly ducked from the soldier's attack, and immediately turned around, locking him from behind, then lifting and throwing him down so that his back landed harshly on the ground.

Combination martial arts and wrestling would always be his favorite. Some of the other soldiers winced, and said, 'Ouuch', imagining it must have hurt a lot.

Mei Lin shouted, "Go, Syaoran!" Syaoran turned, and was surprised to see that Sakura was there watching him with his sister.

"Hey," Syaoran smiled, and walked over to them while Mei Lin waved her hand.

_Wait! Don't come here!_

"You're no fair, you know. That poor soldier; if you want a punching bag, you shouldn't use them," Mei Lin protested when Syaoran arrived in front of them. She glanced at Sakura, and coughed a little, "Well, you were amazing just now, I mean, like totally cool. If there had been other girls here, they would have fallen in love with you," she gave exaggerated praise in front of Sakura.

Syaoran only chuckled at hearing her. Of course he thought that it was too much. "Well well, my little sister, you're being extremely nice today. So tell me, what do you want?" Syaoran ran his hand through her hair playfully, making it messy. Mei Lin just giggled. He then turned to Sakura and smiled, "Hi, Sakura."

Sakura answered, "Oh Um—hi," then looked away. She still wasn't in the mood to look at his face.

"Hey, Mei Lin, can you pass me the water?" Syaoran asked, and pointed at the drink on the trunk beside her that the maid had prepared earlier.

"Sure," Mei Lin passed it, and Syaoran drank it quickly.

When he finished, he turned around and sighed, "Oh that felt so good." He laughed when he saw his previous opponent, Joe, had successfully brought another soldier down. "That's it, Joe!" he shouted.

It was at that moment when Syaoran turned to watch his soldiers practicing that Sakura could very clearly see the scar of a predator up close.

"Get away!" she immediately pushed Syaoran hard enough that he dropped his drink. Syaoran turned around, startled by her sudden action.

"Sakura?"

"Go away!" she continued to look away from Syaoran. The scar was really disturbing her, and her head hurt terribly when she imagined it. "Back off! That scar disgusts me!" They were cruel words, and Sakura couldn't believe that she had said them.

She didn't see Syaoran's face that time, but if she had, she would have seen that her words had really crushed him.

"Ha, okay, okay," was his casual response as if it wasn't a big deal. Syaoran looked at Mei Lin's worried face, but only sighed, and smiled as he stroked her hair before leaving.

Once Syaoran was gone, Sakura sighed in relief.

"Hmm maybe you shouldn't have said that," Mei Lin said.

Sakura knew that it might have been a little bit cruel, but why was she blamed? Was she that cruel? Not as cruel as what Syaoran had done to her, right?

Mei Lin touched her shoulder, and came face to face with her, "Do you know how he got that scar?" those crimson eyes were full of sadness, but she still smiled softly at her.

Sakura shook her head; clueless.

"He got that scar when he almost died saving your life."

Silence

_What? Saving my life?_

Sakura muted, and lifted her hand to her mouth as she realized what she had done to him. She really didn't remember her past at all, but even so.

"Try to go after him," Mei Lin's voice knocked into her, and she automatically walked off after him.

_This isn't fair! Why am I going after him? However... _

Yes, Sakura realized that her words must have hurt him.

So she carried herself to look for the tall young man with chestnut hair; the prince with a scar on the back of his shoulder.

She found him with his sword at another corner of the castle yard. The prince was training with his sword at an incredible speed, moving his body with much force and energy.

Why did he seem so hard on himself? Was it to forget his sorrows?

Syaoran stopped after a few more moves, his breathing fast, and sweat covering his whole body. It was such hard training.

He suddenly noticed that a figure was watching him, "Sakura."

"I'm sorry," the words came out from her mouth as she sat down on the grass beside him

Syaoran sighed with a smile, and looked up at the sky, "You don't have to apologize."

Even though she didn't want to admit it, she felt guilty.

She braced herself to look at the scar on the back of his shoulder again, but Syaoran tried to hide it.

"No. I know it's disturbing you—"

"I'm alright," Sakura insisted.

Syaoran hesitated before letting her see the scar. Sakura's breath caught when she looked at it again, and it suddenly became difficult to breath.

"How did you get that?"

Syaoran looked at her as if he didn't know how to answer. He then turned away to look up at the sky before answering, "Well, let's just say that when I was 11, there was someone I wanted to rescue."

"Why?"

Syaoran sighed again, "I don't know, I just couldn't leave her like that. She was still really small and vulnerable. I was thinking that it would be better if I put myself in danger rather than seeing her get hurt."

Sakura listened to his words intently, knowing that Syaoran was talking about her.

"What kind of danger were you facing?"

"A wolf."

"W-What?" Sakura was startled to hear that, "A wolf!?"

Syaoran chuckled, "Yeah, a wolf. A really wild one to be exact."

"So, your scar…"

"It bit me."

Sakura didn't know what to say. She was still trying to swallow his words, "Hmm…uh."

Syaoran didn't know whether he had to respond to her confused words or not, but then she asked, "Then how did you get through it?" her fingers played with the grass. "I mean, you were still really young at the time."Syaoran thought for a moment, remembering that incident, "When the wolf bit me, I felt like my world had stopped; I thought I was going to die. The pain was still in my mind for a few years after that," He stopped for a while, and a smile curved on his lips. "Yet, I was so relieved when I saw that person safe in her father's arms. I felt like I could do something so meaningful. I, who was nobody, could be important, and save her life."

Sakura was speechless, her breathing getting faster, and then she said, "That sounds so stupid."

Syaoran raised his brows at hearing that.

"I think you were being unreasonable by sacrificing yourself for that person. What if you had really died at that time?" she said, trying to fight the tears that were starting to fall from the corner of her eyes. "I think you're so stupid. Now do you regret saving her life?"

Syaoran was forced to sit up when he heard that sentence. The expression on his face changed immediately, and a frown touched his lips. He brought himself face to face with her, and his voice was firm, "If time was turned back to that day, I would have still saved her life no matter what. Even if it was turned back a hundred times, I would save her each time."

His amber eyes looked into hers deeply, and she felt like they were piercing her.

Sakura quickly turned her head down. She started to hate herself for letting this guy affect her so much.

"Anyways, I was told that we used to know each other," She stated, surprising him. Hearing no answer, she asked, "Is it true?"

Syaoran switched his eyes toward another direction. Silence fell for a while, and he knew she had no more memories of him. He wondered whether he could tell her about them, "It's true," he answered, not looking at her.

"What kind of person was I?" she couldn't help but ask.

Syaoran put a small smile on his face. He sighed, and laid his back on the ground, his head on his hands as he looked up at the sky again, "You're a stubborn person."

Sakura's eyes widened as she heard the answer, "You're really good at picking fights—"

"I'm telling the truth," He couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. "You're really stubborn at times. It gave me a hard time," He recalled those times, treasuring every moment. "You're stubborn, but also indecisive sometimes. You're mature on the inside, but you acted childish. You tried to act strong, and you were strong. However, you couldn't keep that shield forever, you-" he stopped, knowing how fragile she was inside, despite how she wanted other people to think of her.

Sakura was lost for words at how he described her. It was like he had known her forever. "Wow. You just made me sound like such a clueless girl," she muttered dryly.

Syaoran chuckled again then coughed, "Well, that's one of the reasons why I like-" he stopped mid-sentence, realizing what he was about to say, "I mean, you're just being you; no manipulation, only pure thoughts compared to this goddam world full of lies and deceit," he found his voice again, thinking that it was one of the reasons why he wanted to protect her.

"When was the last time we saw each other?" Sakura was asking more questions, and he thought that it was a good start for her.

"More than a year ago," It was like hell for him when he had to live his life without her; when he thought he had lost her.

"What did we do last time?"

"We were fighting."

Sakura couldn't agree more, "I think that explains a lot," she said matter-of-factly.

Syaoran on the other hand didn't want to remember the last time they fought; it only made his heart ache. His jaw tightened, and he looked into her eyes deeply again, "What I regret the most are the words I said to you that time. You didn't deserve that, and I'm sorry, Sakura."

She looked into his eyes, and found that he really meant it, "Don't worry, I don't remember that. What I do remember though was how you took me away from my family, and destroyed the thing I cherished the most. I haven't forgiven you for that," she said, bringing back the reasons why she hated him so much. "I have a fiancé."

The last sentence wrenched at his heart.

"You don't have any choice," he said, even though he knew that he wasn't being fair to her, or the person she was talking about. "I wouldn't risk putting you in danger. I just got you back, and I won't let you go again," his voice was firm. "You're my wife now; a part of this kingdom. Any soul who seeks you shall go through the entire kingdom, and I, first," he stated, not tolerating any objection.

"Why would a prince like you put so much attention into a girl like me?" Sakura raised her voice.

Syaoran looked at her in disbelief, "You know nothing, Sakura, nothing."

"Oh, and you think you know everything? You think you know how I feel right now? If you could read my mind, then you would know that I wish nothing more than to leave this goddam place. You think you know me? You know nothing!" she felt her anger rise as she stood up; attempting to leave him, but Syaoran caught her arm, and stood as well.

"You have nowhere to run to," he stated, knowing that he was being mean to her, but he had to until she came back. Until his Sakura came back. He wished she could have remembered. "And yes, I do know about you. I know you so well," He pulled her arm, and brought her face close to his. Looking her in the eyes, he whispered to her, "You won't throw yourself to any man but me."

Sakura's eyes widened as she heard that. Her pulse quickening as she felt his grip tighten around her wrist. Without thinking, she pushed him away, and ran back into the castle.

.

Tomoeda

.

Horse steps echoed throughout the entire village. Tens of soldiers arrived to check around Tomoeda. No, they would actually do more than just check around, a lot more.

"TOMOEDA," the king's voice roared. Jun had arrived with his army to take what he thought he deserved. He reined on his horse, and eyed all the villagers who had stepped out of their houses to see what was going on.

Jun rode his horse to the roundabout where the fountain and broken sculpture of Sakura were. The upper part had been destroyed, and all people could see now was a pile of shattered material on the ground rather than the princess's face.

"Bring me the leader," his voice commanded with implacable authority. "Now," he said to one boy in front of him who was no doubt frightened, but immediately turned to do what he was told.

The boy, however, stopped in his tracks when he saw the leader of the village stepping through the crowd as they stepped aside to give him access.

The leader was a small, old man with spectacles whose long hair had turned from grey to white long ago. He walked up to Jun with a stick, and said 'no' to one of the villagers who had offered to help him walk.

"Yes, Your Highness?" His voice was filled with respect for he knew who he was talking to.

"Tell me, where is the gold?" Jun made his point directly. There was a reason he wanted to conquer Tomoeda; more gold, more slaves, and more power to his kingdom.

"Pardon, Sir?" The leader looked confused.

"Gold," he repeated slowly and clearly. "Such a village wouldn't have shown such significant developments without it. I want to see the gold," he hissed, and the leader could see the intolerable desire in his eyes.

Yet, he still didn't understand, "We have no gold, Sir."

"Liar," Jun stated, and at that moment the leader knew he didn't like the king.

"Pardon me, but we never lie."

Jun let out a sarcastic laugh, "Small thing," he looked at the leader in disgust. "If there is no gold, then what is Tomoeda? What rubbish! Tell me, what is it that your dear people do with such an incapability of knowledge? No soul here has ever tasted a life ruled by a kingdom."

Now the leader's eyes were filled with hatred. He had never seen someone with such arrogance before. Even though it was the king, he was not going to let anyone insult his people; the true heroes of Tomoeda.

"The people of Tomoeda are capable of doing other things that do not revolve around gold. They are truly hard workers with much talent, and are able to make the best of our abundant resources to bring this village prosperity."

Jun's jaw tightened, "Are you questioning my point?" he asked menacingly.

He didn't answer the question. The leader knew that he was trotting on dangerous grounds.

"Are the people of Tomoeda questioning the King of Kinomoto!?" Jun growled, his voice growing low and cold. "Are the people of Tomoeda refusing to bow on my command?"

At hearing that the leader answered, "We bow to no one."

It was seconds before the King drew his sword, and slashed the leader's neck, sending him to the ground.

People screamed in fear at seeing him lying on the ground, blood pouring from him.

Jun had killed their leader.

.

"What's happening?" Kaho said in a panic after hearing the riot outside their house. She opened the door to check, and gasped at the scene in front the fountain. "Oh, God, no!" Her breath caught in her throat, she couldn't believe what had just happened to their leader. Without thinking, she ran off toward the site.

Touya stepped out of the house, and called after his wife, "KAHO! Shit," He was about to go after her, but he felt his arm being pulled.

Nadeshiko had automatically grabbed his arm to stop him from leaving their house. She had seen the king, and there was horror in her eyes.

Her face paled, and her mouth dropped open. Her heart might have even stopped for a few seconds, "Kami-sama…"

The nightmare that had once haunted her had been refreshed. She had never imagined that she would see that person in her life again, and her entire body shook with fear.

Kaho reached the fountain, and panicked as she kneeled down, picking up the leader's body. "No, no. Please, hold on," She hugged his face to her chest, and couldn't stop her tears from falling. "Please, please…" She hoped that he was still alive, but unfortunately he wasn't.

"Touya!" Nadeshiko dragged her son back into the house, and closed the door with a loud bang. "Stay here!" she roared so loudly that it made Touya jump.

He had never heard his mother speak like that before.

"Mother?" He wondered what was wrong with her, but he had no time to argue while his wife was out there, "Mother, move."

Nadeshiko blocked the door with her body, and shook her head quickly in denial, "N-No, Touya—"

"Mother," Touya growled.

"No, Touya. D-Don't. Don't go!" Her voice was shaky. She was extremely frightened, "You can't go Touya. Stay inside, you're not going anywhere. I-I won't let you," her eyes were red.

"Mother, Kaho is out there!" he roared.

"No, Touya. Listen to your mother, o-okay? My son, you have to listen to me. Don't go outside, I-I'm your mother, right? You have to listen to me," It was as if it would kill her if he went outside to meet the king.

She wouldn't let that happen, not a chance.

Touya didn't listen to her though. All he could think of was protecting his wife who was now in front of the killer along with some other villagers. He quickly pushed Nadeshiko away from the door, and dashed outside toward the fountain.

"No, Touya—!"

.

AN: LOL another cliffhanger. Thank you so muchhh for those of you who have reviewed my story. As a writer I DO need feedbacks from my readers, and I was wondering whether I should continue this story or not.

**Special thanks to acegirl195**


	12. Remember Me

AN: Thank you for my dear reviewers. This chapter is dedicated to you all.

Disclaimer: I do not own CCS. I just own the plot.

**The Warrior – Chapter 12: "Remember Me"**

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Touya

.

Ignoring his mother, Touya dashed outside as fast as his legs could go. He could hear his mother calling his name hysterically, but he didn't care. He saw his wife crying as she held the dead body of the leader, and his heart raced. There, in front of the king, he knelt down beside her, and hugged her trembling body, "Kaho…"

He could feel the king's piercing eyes on them. Damn, they definitely had his attention.

"Now you all know what'll become of you if you dare to cross me," the king's voice was disgustingly full of himself.

Touya wished that Kaho hadn't glared at him, but she had. The king raised his brow as he looked at the anger in her eyes.

Before the king could do anything to her, Touya quickly moved in front of her; blocking her out of his way as the king watched her with interest.

"Is she your wife?" a smile tugged at the king's lips, and Touya's jaw tightened as he figured out what the king was thinking. "You have a beautiful wife."

"Leave her alone," Touya hissed venomously.

The king's laughter filled the air as he looked over at his soldiers in disbelief, "Did you hear what he said? He asked me to leave her alone! Can you believe that?" he laughed again, thinking that it was some kind of joke. "This young man was asking me, asking the King of Kinomoto—"

"I wasn't asking you. I was telling you; commanding you, to leave her alone," Touya corrected him before the king could finish his sentence, and his laugh stopped short. Touya must have been crazy to say such things to him, but crazy or not made no difference. The king really would take Kaho if he wanted to, and Touya wouldn't let him do that.

"Well, well, well," Touya suddenly felt cold metal under his chin. The king pointed his sword at him, and the other villagers gasped as Kaho gripped Touya's sleeve from behind, her hands shaking uncontrollably.

"No!" she cried.

Touya feared not though. He looked up piercingly into the king's eyes, and could see rage in them.

"Get up," The king forced Touya to stand with the tip of the sword under his chin. The king then turned to one of his soldiers who appeared beside him, waiting for the soldier to spill the information.

The soldier shook his head, signaling negative to whatever the king had asked him to find out earlier; Touya figured that it was about the gold. Of course, how would he find what didn't even exist?

"You have 48 hours to bring me all of the gold, or Tomoeda will be history," the king threatened them. With those last words, he reined on his horse to leave along with his soldiers, leaving everyone speechless.

.

_Dear God, please protect us. Please don't let that evil man harm us. Please don't let him hurt my son, please forgive my sins. Oh God, I am such a sinful human being who makes mistakes._

_Please protect my family._

Nadeshiko remembered those words, and the times she had begged God not to take away her beloved.

_God, please forgive me for I haven't come to you as much as before._

She never thought that this nightmare would haunt her again as she watched her son running out of the house, and toward the devil himself. Her whole body trembled, and her breath caught in her throat. She couldn't stand to see what would happen next. She collapsed to the floor, sobbing hard as she felt like her heart was about to explode.

Then suddenly he came back. Her son came back. He was alive!

"T-Touya—"

"Mother," He came inside, dragging along his wife who was still sobbing hard. Before he could speak though, Nadeshiko lifted her hand to give him a hard and painful slap across his face.

She could see the total shock on his face.

This was the first time he had been slapped by his mother.

"What were you doing!?" she roared, "Didn't I tell you not to leave the house? Didn't I tell you!?"

He was still speechless.

"Why did you go to see that man when I told you not to?" she raised her voice even more.

"Mother," he wanted to hold her, but she pushed him away.

Tears streamed down her face, and she must have looked so vulnerable in front of him.

"It's okay. The king has left."

She froze as she heard him say, "The—the king?"

_No. It shouldn't have been…_

"Yes, the king of Kinomoto; he killed the leader."

Kaho broke down again as he said that.

"N-No. What do you mean by the King of Kinomoto?"

_It couldn't be…_

"He is the King of Kinomoto. That man," Touya couldn't hide his rage as he mentioned that person.

"No, he's not the king!" Nadeshiko shouted out loud, and it surprised them.

"What do you mean, mother?" Now there was confusion on Touya's face.

"Did you see another man with him? The king—no—he's a tall man with brown hair and brown eyes."

Touya looked clueless, "No, mother. I don't know what you're talking about. You're acting strangely today," by the tone of his voice, and the look on his face he was getting suspicious.

Nadeshiko gulped nervously and said with a shaky voice, "N-No, it's nothing, Touya. I'm just glad that you two are alright. P-Promise me you won't do that again?" she begged.

He just nodded, and hugged her, trying to sooth her cries, "I won't, mother. I won't"

She couldn't keep her mind from it though. Something wasn't right.

.

Later: Sakura

.

Waking up in the middle of the night, she sat up, panting hard as her whole body was covered in sweat. She really couldn't sleep properly since she moved into the castle.

_Damn that prince. Damn this kidnapping. Why can't he just let me live in peace?_

She scowled as she decided to get up. She reached for the water at the side of her bed, but damn again, the cup was empty. She was so thirsty that she might have been dehydrated. She would just go outside, and get some water from the maid.

Grabbing the empty cup, she stepped out of her room, and walked through the hallway. It was dark, but illuminated by the torches hanging on the wall. She had never thought that it would have been such an effort to find water in the middle of the night.

She suddenly heard voices from inside a room; someone was shouting madly. She couldn't help but peep inside as the door was not entirely closed.

"What the hell is this? Are you positive that he just killed the leader?"

She shuddered at the word 'kill'. The prince was the one shouting though she could only see his back. He was accompanied by a man with midnight blue hair, snapping his hands on the table, facing the soldiers who seemed to have given him some reports.

"Yes, we are sure, Your Highness."

"Dammit. Goddamnit!"

She could sense his anger building up, and somehow regret.

"I never thought that he would act that boldly. Tomoeda didn't deserve that."

Her heart skipped a beat. She was not sure whether she had heard it right.

_Did he just say Tomoeda?_

"We apologize, Your Highness. If only we had figured it out earlier, we would have taken some prevention," one of the soldiers said.

"What does he want?" the prince asked in a low voice, seething with anger.

"In two days they will fail his expectations, and he plans to destroy Tomoeda."

The answer forced Sakura to drop the cup she was holding. It shattered into pieces, and the sound of it clashing with the floor gained their attention. She quickly pushed herself against the wall to hide.

Her heart raced as her pulse quickened.

_No, this can't be happening. Tomoeda is going to be destroyed?_

_What about my home? My family? The people I love?_

_No, they can't be gone. They **won't**…._

Her legs moved before she even realized it. She was heading out of the castle building, and running as fast as she could.

What could a girl do to protect a village? Even so, she had to go there. She had to see her family, had to see their faces, and know that they were okay.

She grabbed one of the torches on the wall to guide her through the darkness, before walking across the yard, and to the stables. She could not think properly. Everything she did was automatic, and she followed what her body wanted her to do.

She felt something wet hit her nose: a drop of water. The sky was against her tonight as it began to pour down rain.

_Not now…_

She entered the stables, almost tripping from being in such a hurried and panicked state. She saw one of the horses and quickly approached it. She felt her body starting to lose balance, and then the whole of it made contact with the thatch as she landed harshly.

She had fallen, and so had the torch in her hand. She gasped as the fire caught the thatch.

_Oh, God…_

Before she could react, the fire had already spread. She crawled back as everything became bright.

She was shaking, but she couldn't scream. She couldn't ask for someone's help. Everything seemed to stop as she thought she was going to die.

This was familiar; the sound of fire burning, and the lights blinding her vision.

She had had this nightmare before.

_Penelope screamed as the fire blocked her way from Sakura. She was trapped inside the fire as it grew bigger. "Penelope!" Sakura screamed out her name as she watched the fire reach her friend. _

_"No!"_

_Hysterical screams filled the air. Sakura watched as a mother and daughter burned in the fire. She tried to approach them to help, but another ceiling fell, and she screamed when it almost hit her. Now she was trapped inside the bathroom as the fire was still burning the entire house. "Go! Run!" Penelope screamed at Sakura, telling her to run away while her own body was burned._

"N-No. It's not my fault," she whispered to herself. "It's not my fault!" she found her voice as she shouted those words. "I didn't kill them. I didn't kill them. It's not my fault," she uttered those words, shaking her head in denial.

She then let out a high pitch scream. She let it out another, over and over again. Everything seemed so blurry, and it was getting warmer and warmer. She didn't know what was going on around her.

She closed her eyes, lying helplessly on the ground. Her throat hurt terribly from all the screaming. She couldn't hear anything. She couldn't even see anything.

Until she felt hands grab her, and heard voices.

"SAKURA!" it was the voice of a man. It was so loud that it could break her ears.

She opened her eyes, and saw a pair of amber eyes staring back. They were filled with terror, looking at her like he would rather die before she did.

"Sakura!" he cried her name again.

Suddenly she didn't see him as the prince. She saw him as someone else, though she didn't know who, or why, but she longed to see that face. She was glad to see that face again.

She suddenly felt secure. She felt that he was her hope, and that she had missed him so much.

Shaking, she reached for him and tugged on his shirt. He hugged her as she cried against his chest.

"It's going to be okay," Just one sentence from him was enough; she felt safe. His embrace made her feel safe.

She kept on crying as he held her in his arms, bringing her outside of the stable as soldiers shouted, running in every direction, and pulling horses out of danger.

She shivered at the feel of cold water pouring from the sky. The rain had started to fall hard, and he was right; it was going to be alright.

.

The Prince's Room

.

Her body was still shaking as he covered it with a thick blanket. As he wrapped his arms around her, he glanced outside the window where the soldiers had already secured the situation at the stables. It was under control, and the fire had stopped.

Her lips trembled as those nightmares stayed in her mind, and those words continuously came from her mouth, "I-It's not my fault. It's not my fault. I d-didn't kill them," she choked.

"Shhh, it's okay. It's not your fault, Sakura. It never was," his tender voice tried to calm her as his hand soothed her back.

"I-I'm so scared," she cried softly.

"There's nothing to be scared of now, Sakura. I'm here with you."

_'I'm here with you.'_

_I've heard those words before._

She looked up at him, and saw his eyes filled with worry.

_I've seen those eyes before as well._

A warm smile was on his lips as he looked back at her.

_I've kissed those lips._

She was startled.

_What did I just say? I've kissed…No, it's impossible. What is happening to me?_

_"Syaoran, will you?" Sakura asked worriedly. Another sob began to break. Before she could open her mouth again, Syaoran brought his lips to hers in a soft kiss._

_"I'm here with you, and I always will be," he said. He looked her in the eyes, and she found honesty. He then kissed her softly again and repeated, "I'm here, Sakura." He could taste her tears as he kissed her. Sakura began to calm down, and slowly return the kiss._

_Neither of them knew how long they stayed there as both of them were too lost in each other. Only the sound of water dripping from the fountain filled the nighttime sky._

She saw it; a vision in her mind. Her heartbeat suddenly increased, and it was hard to breathe. Suddenly she felt a longing and yearning so deep that it hurt, and tears started to form again.

_It hurts. It really hurts. Seeing him brings so much pain to my heart. How can that be?_

_Why does it hurt? I hate him. Yes, it must be because I hate him so much, right?_

_Or is it because I have loved him so much?_

_Love_

_Why did that word even come out? It's the last thing I ever want to feel towards him. He is the bad prince after all._

_He was not a prince though. He was just… He was…_

She couldn't finish the sentence in her head, it wouldn't allow her.

"Are you okay?" Syaoran asked, and the next thing she did startled him.

She lifted her hand to touch his lips, shutting away his words. She studied them, her thumb gently grazing the soft skin.

_I may not have the answer tonight, but…_

She brought her face closer to his and her lips on his. She kissed him softly, and it surprised him. He pulled away to look at her.

His eyes said it all. She didn't need him to tell her that he was feeling the same pain she had. It was a feeling and emotions so deep that it hurt, and brought tears to his eyes.

The next moment, he brushed his lips against hers softly, and she responded. She closed her eyes as her tear dropped. She circled her arms around his neck as they continued to kiss.

She might not know who he was yet, and she didn't know if what she was doing was right or not, but at that moment, she was sure that it was what she wanted to do.

.

**Special thanks to acegirl195**


	13. Escaping

AN: Hey guys, this is the long awaited chapter. I hope you like this one. Sorry for the delay.

Again, this chapter is dedicated to my reviewers J

Disclaimer: I do not own CCS. I just own the plot.

**The Warrior – Chapter 13: "Escaping"**

.

The sun had risen, casting its rays through the window upon the face of the prince as he slowly opened his eyes. He was lying on his side on the bed, facing Sakura who was still asleep in his arms. He smiled, looking at her peaceful sleeping face, gently moving a strand of her honey brown hair that fell on her cheek.

Last night, the fire incident at the stables had been so frightening for her. It must have reminded her of what had happened inside the woods: the tragedy that had killed a mother and a daughter, one that had made her traumatized. He hadn't wished that she would remember a memory of her past through that incident. His heart ached, knowing how much pain she had been through.

Still, he couldn't believe that she had kissed him last night. He didn't know what had made her do that, but looking into her eyes that time, he knew that his real Sakura had been there. He had been able to feel her love. His Sakura had been kicking inside her.

And he missed her. He missed her so much: the way she loved him, and the way she involuntary taught him how to love. They had shared their kisses again, and she had let him stay with her in his room, calming her down, making her feel safe, and that had led them to closing their eyes together, falling asleep on his bed.

She needed him, just like she always did since their very first encounter.

He touched her cheek gently, his deep intense eyes reflecting his longing for her. Nothing could top what he was feeling inside. There was a hope that she would remember him again someday. Someday…

Sighing in his smile, he sat up carefully in order not to wake her up, and slid out of bed to take a shower.

'I won't let you suffer anymore, my cherry blossom. I won't,' he made a vow to himself.

.

Later.

.

Sakura woke up, only to find that Syaoran was nowhere to be found. She sat up, thinking about what had happened last night. She had had a breakdown. She couldn't understand what she had been feeling last night, but it was a deep shit, a really deep shit.

How could it not be? Last night it had been as if she had missed the prince so much, and suddenly she had felt like the world had only revolved around them, and suddenly they kissed! And heck, she was the one who had initiated it. Now, would she ever be able to explain that to Yukito? No, she wouldn't!

And now that sane had come back to her, and reality was in front of her, a thing crossed her mind and it was dead important: Tomoeda. She remembered that it was going to be destroyed, and she began to shudder again at the thought of it.

"Woke up already?"

A voice startled her, and she turned her head to find her husband standing at the door, smiling at her. He was already dressed in his knight suit with full armors, looking like he was ready to leave.

"Uh—yea," she answered weakly, standing up from the bed.

"How are you feeling?" Syaoran asked, approaching her.

"Well, I'm feeling better now." Lie. She was worried to death about Tomoeda and her family.

"I'm gonna leave soon, but I'll be back before dark. If you need anything, just let everyone know. I already told Mei Lin and Tomoyo to keep you company," he gently held her shoulder, his soft eyes looking into hers.

Sakura just nodded weakly. But then, she looked up at him and asked, "Can I take a walk with them? I still find it difficult to find my way in this area, and I need to get some fresh air too." It was more like a demand, not a question.

"You can go wherever you want within the area of this castle, but I'm afraid you can't go beyond that. Not outside this castle. And moreover, most of the soldiers are gonna be out with me," he told her firmly.

She wanted to argue, but realized that it would be useless. However, she noted his last sentence. In response, she just nodded again softly.

Seeing that, Syaoran smiled, sighing, before planting a soft kiss on her forehead. She shut her eyes as he did so. They heard a soft 'Awwww' and looked at the doorway, where two girls just arrived that second.

The two girls couldn't hide their excitement looking at the scene.

"Mei Lin, Tomoyo," Syaoran said.

"Don't worry, Xiao Lang. We will take care of her while you're gone," Mei Lin exclaimed happily, approaching them quickly, dragging Tomoyo behind. She pulled Sakura closely at her side with her arm wrapping around Sakura's neck.

Tomoyo gave Sakura a cheerful smile as she stood beside her.

Syaoran laughed softly at the three of them and held Sakura's hand one last time before slowly stepping backward to the door. "Take care. I'll try to get back as soon as I possibly can today," he said, feeling reluctant to leave, and to let go of her hands. He smiled, mouthing 'bye' as his fingers finally let go of hers, and turned around to walk out of the room.

"Awww," Mei Lin couldn't help but let out that phrase again as she watched her brother go, thinking how loving he was to his wife. She and Tomoyo clung at Sakura, giggling, while Sakura just had an awkward smile plastered on her face.

.

Later.

.

"So, what do you think of my brother?" Mei Lin suddenly asked as she, Sakura, and Tomoyo took a walk across the back yard of the castle.

Sakura was startled to hear that.

"I mean, come on. He's not that bad, right?" Mei Lin winked.

Sakura didn't know what to answer. "Uh—well—." To be honest, she was really grateful when he saved her last night, and she had felt really safe in his arms, but she just couldn't deny the fact that he had forcefully kidnapped her and married her, taking her away from the people she loved.

"Sakura, what is it that you don't like about Syaoran?" Tomoyo asked desperately, sighing.

"He's a selfish, rude, arrogant princ—" Sakura immediately stopped as she realized what she was saying, and to whom she was speaking.

"As in charming, reliable and loving?" Mei Lin asked playfully, looking at Sakura intently.

Sakura couldn't help but blush.

"Sakura, it's not like we've known him forever, but I know that you're very important to him," Tomoyo added. "You should see that."

Okay, so now Sakura knew that no one was on her side.

"I was really relieved that he managed to save you last night. I'm sorry for what happened. It must have been really frightening for you being trapped in the fire," Mei Lin said as they saw the stables, heading towards it. "But the place's fine. Look at that!"

Indeed, Mei Lin was right. Some parts of the stables had been destroyed by the fire, but the majority of the place was fine, some men still working to fix it though. They stepped into the place, and Sakura couldn't believe that she had been there last night. It had been like a nightmare for her, and she felt like it wasn't the first time.

"Oh, Sakura. How could you even survive having experienced something like this? I would have been traumatized if it had happened to me," Tomoyo said, shuddering at the thought of it as she traveled her eyes around the place.

"Syaoran. Syaoran was there with me all the time. I wouldn't have been able to calm myself down if he hadn't stayed with me the whole night," Sakura confessed, making Tomoyo and Mei Lin gasp.

"You spent the night together!?" they shouted at the same time, their voices filled with excitement.

Sakura cringed at their loudness; she felt the urge to slap herself for saying that. However, she just nodded weakly, and she saw their faces beaming with happiness.

"So, what happened? Did you remember anything?" Mei Lin quickly asked.

"Er… Yeah, a bit, I guess," Sakura answered. She couldn't deny that she did see some scenes flashing back in her mind, and as she thought about what she had done to him last night, her face turned crimson from embarrassment.

Mei Lin and Tomoyo both noticed this.

"Don't tell me… Something happened, right?" Mei Lin studied her, gripping her shoulder as her curiosity rose. "Oh my God, did he kiss you?" she asked in disbelief.

"He what? Kiss? W—what?" Sakura stuttered nervously, and her blush turned even worse. Now, her face was as red as a boiled crab.

Bingo. Nice shot, Mei Lin. Sakura was so easy to read. Poor Sakura.

"And you let him do that?" Tomoyo asked, a devilish smile on her face.

"Wha—what? No way! I wouldn't—Oh God, I would not let him do that to me ever!" Sakura denied.

"Sakura, it's no use lying to us. It's all written on…your…face. You two kissed. That's the fact. No need to deny it," Mei Lin stated, amused.

"Oh, that's like….sooo sweeeet!" Tomoyo exclaimed happily, clasping her hands in front.

"No, it's not like that!" Sakura felt like pulling their hair for what they were thinking in their minds.

"So, what else are you trying to say, my dear? You two kissed. Or… Don't tell me…. Did he—oh my God. Did he force you to do that?" Mei Lin's eyes widened, Tomoyo gasping.

"No, Mei Lin. I don't think that Syaoran would do something like that. He wouldn't force her. Or would he, Sakura?" Tomoyo lifted her hand to her mouth.

"Do that? Do WHAT? What are you guys talking about? I wouldn't let him force me to do anything!" Sakura tried to knock some sense to them so that they wouldn't misunderstand.

"But you two did kiss, or whatever it was beyond that, even if you denied it and looked so ashamed to admit it. So, he must have forced you in order to do that, and you just couldn't push him away," Tomoyo said with twinkling innocent eyes.

"He can't order nor force me to do anything! I kissed him!" Sakura tried to argue, but instead of fixing things, she had created more damage.

Even more devilish smiles crept on Tomoyo's and Mei Lin's lips now; satisfaction was what they felt. They had accomplished their goal: Sakura had spilled it. And it was the truth they would have been more than happy to welcome.

"You kissed him," Mei Lin repeated her sentence, her heart screaming 'YEEEESSSS!' in victory. Now she knew why her brother had been so happy this morning.

"You remembered him, Sakura" Tomoyo smiled.

"No, I didn't! I saw him as someone else!" Sakura said in denial, hating herself for spilling the truth, while approaching one of the horses.

Mei Lin and Tomoyo wished that she could just stop acting so stubborn.

Sakura pulled the rein of a black horse, dragged it out of the crib and began to hop onto it. The black horse went on a rampage, its front legs up in the air, almost smashing Tomoyo and Mei Lin who quickly backed off, but Sakura expertly pulled the rein as she sat on it. She soothed the animal, taking it under control.

"Sakura, what are you doing?" Mei Lin asked worriedly. If Sakura wanted to ride, she shouldn't have taken Mars, the fastest horse and the most difficult to handle in there. Nevertheless, Mei Lin was amazed at how she had put it under her control; she must have been an expert rider.

"Taking a ride?" Sakura smiled.

"But you're not allowed to leave the castle," Tomoyo reminded her, not wanting to get into any trouble.

"Who says so?" Sakura let out a fake laugh. "I've got permission" she grinned, and yes, she lied.

"What? How come?" Tomoyo was surprised.

"Remember the last time Syaoran and I had a conversation when he was about to leave? Well, guess what, I've got his permission to look around the village. After the incident last night, I told him that I need some fresh air to clear my mind. I would go insane if he kept locking me inside this castle. It's just the village within Li boundary, so he said he wouldn't mind," she paused before adding, "As long as you girls accompanied me."

Mei Lin, however, didn't buy her words. "But, Sakura, I still don't think that it's a good idea." And she still didn't believe that Syaoran had agreed with Sakura to let her wander around the village when most of the soldiers were out with him and the rest would be busy guarding the palace and the king.

Sakura looked at Mei Lin questioningly and begged, "Come on. It's just for a while. He told me that I could go there if I went there with you."

"But Syaoran didn't tell us anything about this. If he had given you permission to go outside the castle with us, he must have informed us," Tomoyo pointed out, and Mei Lin nodded in agreement.

Sakura was starting to get desperate. "But I'm telling the truth. Believe me. Please? It's just a village here, right beside this castle. Besides, who would be stupid enough to break into Li's territory and attack us?" Sakura made her point. "And I'm attached to you two. You can put a chain on me if you want."

Hearing her words, Mei Lin and Tomoyo began to have a second thought. Sakura was right: it was just a village at the other side of the wall. It had been a while since they visited the people in the village, and it would be fun if they could go there together with Sakura. It was a good way to build their relationship as well. Moreover, Syaoran had agreed. And it was their task to keep her company today, right?

"Please, please. I really want to look around the place with you two today," Sakura begged again with puppy eyes.

Mei Lin exchanged look with Tomoyo, and they both nodded. "Okay, we're going with you then," Mei Lin said finally, making Sakura squeal in delight.

It was the first time I lied. I've never lied to anybody before, and yet it had to be to the two of them. They are ones of the nicest people I've ever met, and I felt so guilty that time.

.

Later that afternoon. Jun's troops.

.

A group of soldiers on their horses were passing through the woods when suddenly one of them fell off to the ground as an arrow pierced his chest.

The rest of them immediately halted, looking around to find who the culprit was. Yet, another soldier fell off to the ground as another arrow was shot at him, followed by another one shot at his friend beside him.

Three down.

Before the rest of the soldiers could draw out their swords, another group of soldiers ambushed, shouts filling the air.

The Li's army had attacked the Kinomoto's while the Kinomoto's were heading to Tomoeda to check around the village again as ordered by the king. The sound of swords clashing with each other filled the air; blood splattered as the sharp metals pierced the skin of the soldiers.

The Li's army had the upper hand, since they had the perfect strategy. They had known the path where the Kinomoto's army were coming through and had made themselves invisible inside the woods, trapping the Kinomoto soldiers who barely had a chance to fight back before the Li soldiers finished them. It didn't take much time for the Li soldiers to have all the enemies down.

Syaoran reined on his horse to one of the Kinomoto soldiers cornered to a tree. The soldier was shaking as he crawled backward. He was the only survivor, that's if they decided to spare his life after killing all his friends there. His eyes widened in shock as he saw Syaoran coming to him.

"Fuck, it's you. What the hell? You're dead!" The soldier couldn't believe that the legendary warrior was still alive, and from Syaoran's appearance, he was more than a warrior now.

"It's His Highness the Prince of Li. Behave yourself!" One of Syaoran's soldiers said furiously and kicked the soldier's stomach, making him wince in pain.

Syaoran pitied the soldier, but his anger was consuming him more. He gripped the soldier's collar, choking him. "Are you calling yourself a soldier of Kinomoto, huh? Attacking a village, spilling innocent blood?" Syaoran hissed coldly and his grip tightened; the soldier's eyes widened in fear. "Did you forget what our former king used to say, never to spill innocent blood?" And then Syaoran's jaw tightened, extreme rage in his eyes. "And how dare you all, filthy soldiers, tried to kill the princess, burning her to death!?" Now, he roared madly, smacking the soldier's head against the tree, his loud voice breaking the silence inside the forest. "Answer me!" he lashed out, and the soldier shook in fear.

Yet, Syaoran received no answer, and he furiously knocked his fist on the soldier's stomach, making the soldier groan in pain as blood came out from his mouth. Syaoran then released his grip on the soldier's collar, making him collapse and hit the ground harshly.

"Tell your king, that he has bigger things to worry about rather than digging some gold and torturing some villagers. Mark my words: tomorrow, sunrise, look at the east. And he will wish that he's never been born," Syaoran spoke venomously. "Understood?" His voice was filled with implacable authority.

The soldier just nodded quickly, wanting to leave that place for dear life.

"Now, get the fuck out of here."

Without waiting, the soldier fled off, almost falling down a few times as his body was still regaining balance. He ran through the woods as fast as he could to deliver the terrible news to Jun.

.

Tomoeda.

.

"What if he comes again?" Nadeshiko asked worriedly as she, Touya, Kaho and Yukito gathered in Touya's room to discuss about what would happen to them after the arrival of the King of Kinomoto.

"He should have known that we wouldn't be able to fulfill his expectation. There's no fucking gold in here. What a stupid king," Yukito hissed in anger. Why did all of these horrible things happen to them at a sudden? First, it was Sakura being kidnapped by some prince, and then the village being attacked by some king.

"Maybe he just wants to destroy this village?" Kaho asked, her eyes tearful, her voice shaky due to her fear.

Touya gently soothed her as he hugged her. "Forgive me. I shouldn't have gone against him that boldly yesterday. I only increased his rage," Touya said, but a part of him didn't regret what he had done. The situation had forced him to do so. Just by looking at how the king had treated Tomoeda like trash made him want to kill the king.

"You promised me that you won't see that man ever again, Touya," Nadeshiko reminded him, her voice firm, her eyes glaring sharply at him.

Before Touya could open his mouth to respond, they heard a knock from the front door. Someone was outside the house.

Before anybody could move, Yukito excused himself. "I'll open the door," he said while stepping out of the room and went to open the door.

Once he opened it, his eyes widened in shock as he saw the visitor.

"…Lily," the name left his lips as he still tried to believe his eyes. There, stood at the doorway before his very eyes, was his lover, his fiancée.

"Yukito." Emerald eyes stared at him as they began to be filled with tears. "Yukito!" Sakura immediately hugged him as she stepped into the house.

"Lily! Oh my God." Yukito almost cried due to happiness as he hugged her back tightly. He couldn't believe that she had come home.

"Yukito, I missed you. I missed you so much!" Sakura cried as she looked up at him, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Lily. I missed you. I thought about you every day I almost died thinking that I'd lost you." Yukito looked into her eyes and touched her cheek, wiping her tears away. He still couldn't believe that it was her face he was touching.

She looked into his eyes, which proved that what he was saying was true. "I'm here now. I would never leave you." She smiled between tears, her hands cupping his face, and he hugged her again, as if he would never let her go.

"What happened? How did you get here?" he suddenly asked abruptly, looking at her face again, worries written on his face.

"I ran away. I can't stand being in that place anymore. I just wanted to come home." Her sobs began to break as she said that.

"Shhh it's okay. It doesn't matter anymore. You're here now, Lily. You're here," he said softly. He was really relieved that she could get out of that place and come back to Tomoeda.

"Lily!" Kaho's voice made him turn around. "Oh my God. Lily! You're back!" Kaho hurriedly stormed to Sakura and hugged her. "Thank God," Kaho said in relief; Sakura hugged her back.

And then, Sakura saw Touya and Nadeshiko coming with disbelief on their faces. Nadeshiko was about to collapse, not believing that Sakura was there. Sakura immediately stormed to her and caught her, hugging her as they fell on the floor. Sakura cried hard, her tears on Nadeshiko's neck.

"…Lily…Lily." Nadeshiko was speechless, openmouthed, tears forming in her eyes. "My Lily…" She couldn't believe that Sakura was back, unharmed.

"I'm home," Sakura whispered between sobs. "I'm home," she smiled.

Nadeshiko cried as well as she hugged Sakura back.

Touya smiled, sighing in relief, as he looked at the little reunion. He was glad that happiness surrounded the little house once more. He walked to Yukito and patted his shoulder.

Yukito looked at Touya, and a smile touched his lips. He finally got his queen back.

.

Later. Li Kingdom.

.

Soldiers guarding the main entrance bowed as Syaoran entered the castle. He walked through the hallway, when a soldier nervously approached him.

"Your Highness," the soldier said, walking up beside him, catching up with his speed.

Syaoran wondered what he was trying to say.

"Sir… Her Highness the Princess—" the soldier gulped before continued to say, "Princess Sakura had escaped."

Syaoran stopped short as he heard the report. He didn't believe his ears. "What!?" he snapped, making the soldier jump.

The soldier regretted bracing himself to deliver the news, now his life was in danger.

"Speak clearly if you still want to be a soldier," Syaoran warned, and the soldier gulped again. Heck, he was sure that he had spoken clearly.

"Princess Sakura had escaped, Sir," the soldier repeated, and Syaoran was taken aback. What kind of nonsense was that?

"And tell me, how is that even possible?" Syaoran hissed, his voice low and dangerous.

"She went out of the castle with Princess Mei Lin and Tomoyo. They were in the village, and suddenly she disappeared, Sir," the soldier explained.

Syaoran wanted to lash out hearing that. "Disappear!? What the hell do you mean by disappear? A human can't just disappear at any moment! She wasn't even supposed to be OUT of this castle in the first place." He felt like he was about to lose control after hearing such news. All kinds of horrible thoughts and possibilities began to pop up in his mind.

Sakura was out there, alone, unprotected.

"Where is Mei Lin?" Syaoran asked in a cold, low voice.

"In her room, Sir," the soldier answered, and Syaoran stormed through the hallway to where his sister was, his jaw tightened, his fists clenched with anger.

When he reached her room, he furiously slammed the door open, surprising the occupants. He was about to lash out, but froze as he saw Mei Lin's and Tomoyo's condition.

Tomoyo was crying on Eriol's chest, worry written all over his face as he tried to calm her down, hugging her.

Mei Lin was crying as she leaned against the wall, covering her mouth in her hand. She looked at Syaoran with fear in her eyes.

"Mei Lin…"

"Syaoran! Syaoran, I'm so sorry… I lost her. I lost her in the village." She ran to him and her hand grasped the front part of his shirt as she told him panicky, tears streaming down her face. "You told her that you allowed her to look around the village, so I thought that it would be safe. We took a ride there, and—and… She's gone! You don't think that she was trying to run away, do you? She couldn't possibly try—"

"I told her what?" Syaoran asked in disbelief.

Mei Lin looked at him with the same expression he had on his face. "You—you didn't allow her to go to the village? You didn't give her any permission to go out?" she stuttered, realizing that it had been a lie, but it was too late now.

"No, I never did," Syaoran stated firmly, knowing where this was going. "Who told you?" His voice was cold.

Mei Lin knew that the answer would hurt him, would make him feel betrayed. "Oh, Syaoran—" She didn't have the heart to tell him, stepping backward.

"Did Sakura tell you that?" Syaoran asked, still with the same coldness of his voice. By the look on Mei Lin's face, Syaoran knew the answer.

Sakura had betrayed him. She had lied to them. She had told Mei Lin and Tomoyo the exact opposite thing that he had told her that morning.

"Syaoran, we're sorry. If only we had noticed it earlier—" Tomoyo tried to speak, but Syaoran shook his head, cutting her sentence off.

He wanted to laugh at himself. Eriol looked at him sadly.

"She took a ride, huh?" was all he said. Yes, God dammit, he had forgotten to tell them that Sakura was a great rider.

.

Later that night. Nadeshiko's house.

.

"The girls must be happy to see her again" Nadeshiko smiled as she put drinks on the table where Touya and Yukito were sitting at.

"Yeah, they'll be surprised. They've been really worried, especially Chiharu. I still remember how she cried when she thought that it was her fault for telling the prince about Lily," Touya commented and took a sip of his drink. He smiled, thinking about how excited Kaho and Sakura had been when they were about to visit Rika's place where the other girls were. Now the girls must have been really happy that Sakura had reunited with them.

"Yukito, did she tell you about what had actually happened?" Nadeshiko asked curiously, but Yukito just shook his head.

"No, she hasn't told me. I'm thinking about asking her later about that. Maybe now it's still too soon," Yukito answered. Even though he looked calm, he was worried inside about what might have happened, and the feeling that she was hiding something from him made him restless.

"I just hope that if it's something about her past, it won't keep her away from us. Hopefully she'll tell us anytime soon," Nadeshiko said, and both Touya and Yukito nodded in agreement.

Suddenly, a knock on the front door was heard, and they automatically turned their heads.

"They can't be back so early. Who could that be?" Nadeshiko wondered.

"It seems that our house got many visitors today," Touya joked.

"I'll get that." Yukito stood up from his chair and walked to open the door. He unlocked it and as it opened, his eyes widened.

A man with chestnut hair and piercing amber eyes was standing in the doorway, shooting him a death glare.

"…You—"

.

AN: haha, the little wolf came to take what belongs to him. Stay tuned to know what will happen next!

**Special thanks to Captain Zangano.**


	14. The Heir of Kinomoto

Disclaimer: I do not own CCS. I just own the plot.

**The Warrior – Chapter 14: "The Heir of Kinomoto"**

::

Syaoran stood in front of the door, the soldiers behind him. He knocked, and a moment later, a man with grey hair and glasses opened the door.

Yukito. His eyes widened in shock at seeing the prince. Syaoran was trying his best to control his anger, but it seemed that he was just emitting it.

"…you—"

"Where is she?" he cut Yukito off, his jaw tightened.

"Who—"

"Don't pretend to act like you don't know. I'm asking where she is, the girl whom you call Lily."

Yukito eyed him with hatred and answered coldly, "There is no one with that name living under this roof."

Hearing that, Syaoran stormed into the house without even asking for permission, earning daggers from Yukito, who was about to stop him, but two of his soldiers immediately blocked Yukito's attempt.

There were two other people in the house. The first one was a woman with a long wavy brown hair whom he had seen before when he first found Sakura in this village: Nadeshiko. She looked extremely scared as she saw him and his soldiers coming in.

The other person was a jet black-haired guy standing closely beside her whom he had never met before: Touya. He had a death glare on his face that matched Syaoran's glare.

"She was here," Syaoran stated.

"You're mistaken. She's not," Touya said, getting his attention.

He clenched his fist in anger as he heard Touya lie. He said to them firmly, "Listen, I am very grateful and I will never be able to thank you enough for saving her life, but she can't stay here. She really can't. She won't be fully protected outside. She's not just an ordinary village girl who you all think she is!"

They jumped at the loudness of his voice.

"She has to stay behind the castle wall."

"What the hell—" Yukito was about to lash out, thinking that it was nonsense, but Nadeshiko suddenly interrupted.

"Do you know her? What do you mean by saying that she's not just some ordinary girl?" She couldn't help but ask that question. Her curiosity was just kicking her from inside that she didn't even realize moving her lips.

"Nadeshiko!" Yukito roared, not wanting the past of his beloved to shatter everything they had had since a year ago. "It doesn't even matter now," he hissed coldly, and Syaoran wanted to spit in disgust hearing that.

Instead, he shot Yukito a venomous look and then eyed all of them with his piercing amber. "I'm warning you not to spill this truth to any soul outside this house. I know that she really thinks of you all as her family, and you have the right to know her," he stopped for a while, knowing that they wouldn't take this information lightly. "Her real name is Sakura Kinomoto. She is the only princess in Kinomoto Kingdom."

The words were like thunder striking each of them. Touya's jaw dropped; his expression was like he was seeing a ghost. Yukito looked at Syaoran just like he was a lunatic from another planet and had spoken an alien language.

But the worst impact was on Nadeshiko. Her eyes widened as she was extremely shocked, lips trembling, whole body shaking uncontrollably. And the next moment, her legs couldn't support her body anymore as she fell to the ground, but Touya quickly caught her.

"Mother!" he cried.

"No… No… It can't be. It can't be. She—she can't be—" Her eyes were glued on the floor, horrified expression on her face, her hands covering her ears.

Syaoran looked at her strangely, realizing that something was not right.

"Get out of this house, you filthy liar!" Yukito stormed in Syaoran's direction, but one of Syaoran's soldiers blocked him with the spear, pushing him on the chest. "She's safe with us," he stated dumbly.

"Safe?" Syaoran wanted to laugh at this insanity. "Then you tell me she is safe, when all the Kinomoto's Army would be hunting her if they knew that she still exists. You tell me she is safe, when the person who wanted her death, the king who has killed her father, just fucking came here. If I hadn't destroyed your goddam precious statue, he would have noticed it, and bam! She's gone forever," he said, his voice unbearably cold. "Is that what you want?"

Yukito looked at him in disbelief, eyes still filled with rage upon him.

Syaoran knew that this was too much… Too much for him. And he hadn't heard all of it.

Meanwhile, as Syaoran's attention was fully on Yukito, who was seething with anger, he didn't realize that someone was dying there. Nadeshiko was dying. She could barely survive having heard all of the words he had thrown inside the house. Those words almost killed her.

Touya was panicking; he never saw his mother in that kind of state before. "Mother… Mother! Are you okay!?" he cried, looking worriedly at her, shaking her shoulders to keep her conscious. "Mother!"

Nadeshiko's eyes stared at him weakly, tears welling up in them. What the prince had just said made her body paralyzed. "Touya… Touya…." She broke in tears, wanting to die, her hand clutching his shirt.

Worry was written all over Touya's face. He quickly hugged her and then decided to carry her to her room.

::

"Mother! Mother, what is happening?" Touya asked desperately as Nadeshiko kept crying on the bed. He held her hand in his as she lay there hopelessly, her eyes staring blankly at the ceiling; tears kept coming out of her eyes. "Mother…" he begged, wanting to take away all of her pain.

"Touya… Touya… Save me," she whispered brokenly.

"I will, mother. I will! I will do whatever you want me to," he cried. "Just, please, tell me. What is going on, mother?" He couldn't stand it any longer. It wasn't just about Lily. His mother was hiding something from him.

"Touya… Your father…" A soft sob escaped her lips as she mentioned it.

Touya stared at her, clueless. What was she talking about? Hadn't she always told him that his father had been dead?

"Your father…" She choked, trying to speak, miserably.

And today, another truth, another tragedy, would be revealed…

::

:: Flashback. Hongo Kingdom ::

::

"Princess Nadeshiko! Princess Nadeshiko!"

She could hear her name being called. The servants were looking for her, but she couldn't go out. She was trapped inside the library in her palace, with…

"Easy. They won't find us here," a man with silver eyes and dark grey hair whispered in her ear. He planted butterfly kisses on her neck, pinning her against the wall.

"Jun, I—" She started to feel uneasy. They shouldn't be doing this. They shouldn't be hiding from anyone. "I—I have to go—"

Hearing her sentence, Jun stopped what he was doing and looked at her. She shivered seeing the coldness in his eyes. "Why? Don't you want to be with me!?" he asked, gripping her wrist so tightly that it hurt.

"Jun, it hurts." She winced in pain, but he didn't budge.

Instead, he brushed his lips against her forcefully, and she pulled away, only making him angrier. Furious, he slapped her.

Tears began to fill her eyes as she felt the terrible pain on her cheek. How could she let him do that again to her? This… This was the reason why it would never work.

He held her chin and made her face him again, his other hand pulling back the hair above her forehead harshly. "Am I not your lover?" But it wasn't a question. It was a statement.

Her lips trembled, fear starting to consume her. She didn't know how to respond to his words.

"Don't you love me?" he asked menacingly.

"Jun…"

"How long do I have to wait, Nadeshiko? It's been one year already! One fucking year!"

"Jun… I—"

He saw the tears in her eyes and his jaw tightened. She screamed as he threw her to the floor, hurting her hand as it hit one of the legs of a table. Her hand was shaking when she turned her head to look up at him. "I can't. I can't do this anymore, Jun. Why are you doing this to me?" she cried. She couldn't stand his rude attitude anymore. How could he easily use his hands to hurt her if he couldn't get what he wanted from her? He had said that he loved her, when it wasn't even love. It was lust.

He stepped closer to her and bent down, holding her chin again with two fingers and looked deeply into her eyes. "You just have to give me one thing. One thing, Nadeshiko. And it will be all over," he hissed.

She looked at him in disbelief.

"Your heart." With that said, he stood up. "I will come back again," he stated coldly before turning on his heels to walk to the door, leaving her there alone, speechless.

Jun Kinomoto. He was one of the Kinomoto brothers, the second heir. Their first encounter was when he visited her land with his soldiers and accidentally saw her. It was just a few seconds; he saw her when she was riding on a horse with her guards and passing him by, but it was enough to make him barge into the castle and find her the next day. She didn't know how he did that.

He was aggressive, and she felt flattered at first. He was passionate and bold. They kept their affair as a secret, which neither his kingdom nor hers knew. Yet, as time went by, his true self was soon revealed. He was arrogant, rude and self centered. No one, no single soul, could oppose him.

He ought to have what he wanted. And that time, it included her.

A few weeks after their last meeting, the King of Kinomoto came by for a visit, bringing his queen and his sons. Jun was there, and she was quite surprised to know that he was always under the shadow of his elder brother.

Fujitaka Kinomoto, the first heir. A prince so magnificent, and charming, that he was the complete opposite of his younger brother. Fujitaka Kinomoto was different. He was a real man, and a promising king to be.

"Thank you for your warm welcome, Hiroyuki," the King of Kinomoto said in delight to her parents, standing in front of the thrones, while his wife and sons bowed in respect. "I shall introduce you to my beloved family: Misuzu, Fujitaka, and Jun."

Her parents watched his first son interestedly.

"And I shall introduce you to mine, Adrian. My wife, Sonoko. And my daughter, Nadeshiko," her father said proudly.

Sonoko and Nadehisko slightly bowed to them. "It is such a pleasure to meet your beautiful family, Adrian," Sonoko said, looking very happy. "You have wonderful young men. Look at that. I see a king in those eyes." She looked at Fujitaka, who smiled charmingly in return.

Indeed, he was captivating. He had a powerful aura that could draw people to him.

"And you have a very beautiful daughter," his mother commented, looking at Nadeshiko pleasantly. "Isn't that true, Fujitaka?" she asked him.

Nadeshiko felt butterflies in her stomach when his gaze landed upon her.

"It is such an honor for me to meet such a wonderful lady like you, Princess Nadeshiko."

She didn't know how to respond to his words. However, her parents were even more delighted to hear that.

"Nadeshiko. Why don't you show him around? Fujitaka must have something in mind to say about our fortress," Sonoko suggested, surprising her.

"Yes, mother," yet, she answered. She walked down from the thrones to do as her mother had said, but before she could step on the stairs, Fujitaka had already walked up to her, offering his hand to help her walk down.

It was then that he noticed the bruise on her hand, which she quickly hid under the sleeves of her gown. He, however, reached it. A slight frown touched his lips, before he softly kissed her hand on the wound.

Her heart skipped a beat when he looked up into her eyes with his deep intense eyes. She could feel his gentleness. She could feel his need to love her.

Their parents watched them in awe, not able to hold back their smiles. She looked at Jun and saw him watching the two of them with anger on his face, his eyes reflecting how much he was hurt and betrayed.

That time, she should have known. That time, she should have realized that they should watch out.

.

Nadeshiko had never thought that she would fall in love with Fujitaka so quickly. It was so easy to love him. Yet, both their parents had known earlier that the two of them wouldn't be able to resist each other, and that the arranged marriage would happen.

Yes, it had been desired by two powerful kingdoms, and so one of the biggest royal weddings in their time took place. Fujitaka and she became husband and wife.

Jun… He disappeared at the day they got married. No announcement, no news, and poof! He just vanished. Kinomoto had lost their second heir that day. It was such a loss for them, a big impact to the family.

And yet, she still moved to Kinomoto Kingdom, putting her mask on, pretending that she knew nothing about it. No one knew about her and Jun's secret affair. No one. It was just the two of them.

Every time she woke up, she felt like she was the lowest human being to ever exist. Every time she looked in the mirror, she saw a woman full of sin. And every time she closed her eyes to sleep, she saw his face haunting her in her nightmare, hissing coldly, 'You betrayed me.'

It wasn't until four years after the wedding day that the guilt was starting to let her free. She had given birth to two beautiful children, one son and one daughter, named Touya dan Sakura. They were on a journey back to the castle from attending a royal ceremony of Fujitaka's relatives in another kingdom. She had left earlier with the children while he stayed longer to have some talk with the royal members, since they thought that it would be best for the children if they could go home earlier. Touya was 3 years old while Sakura was only a couple of months old.

"Mother, are we going to reach home before dark?" Touya asked, and she smiled sweetly at him. They were inside a carriage pulled by horses while some soldiers were guarding them outside.

"Of course, my dear. You know that your father won't allow us to be on a journey by ourselves at night. It wouldn't be safe."

Hearing that, he sighed. "Good, cause I'm hungry."

She laughed a little as he put a cute pout on his face. "Just a few more hours, Touya. Look at your sister. She hasn't complained yet," she said between laughs, and it was true: Sakura was sleeping sound in her arms. She was such an adorable baby girl.

"Of course! She's an angel." Touya smirked and turned to look at his baby sister, touching her hair gently, admiring her. "Sakura, Sakura. Grow up fast, so I can show you that I am the best brother in the world!"

Nadeshiko smiled hearing that, feeling proud of her boy.

"I will be your knight in shining armors!" he exclaimed enthusiastically.

She laughed again, before saying, "You will." She ran her fingers through his hair, and he grinned widely. She knew that he would be a great king too in the future, just like his father.

Suddenly, they heard the horses nickering, followed by a soldier shouting and the sound of something dropping to the ground.

She nearly screamed when the carriage shook as the horses went on rampage, Sakura now crying in her arms. "What happened?" she asked, panicking, and her fear started to grow as she heard more soldiers shouting and the sounds of their bodies drop to the ground.

Touya looked at her in fear, and she pulled him closer to her. He hugged her tightly while her entire body was shaking.

Both of them knew what was happening outside: they were being attacked. The soldiers were going down one by one, and it seemed that it wasn't a direct battle, but possibly they being attacked by arrows. It went on for a moment before everything went silent again; only the sound of Sakura crying was heard.

All the soldiers outside might have been killed. But why? And by who? Who would have attacked them?

She and Touya felt like they were waiting for a death sentence and thought that they were literally going to die when they heard footsteps coming closer to the carriage. She pulled him even closer to her.

The door burst open, and her eyes widened in shock.

Jun… was there. His silver eyes, his dark grey hair… He hadn't changed at all, except for the look in his eyes. It was even colder and bitter than before. "Well well well. Look who I've found here," he spat in disgust.

"Jun…" Tears welled up in her eyes. She shook her head in denial. No, this is not happening.

"It seems that my brother treated you well." Jun eyed her from head to toe, and then looked at Touya. Jun's expression changed even more disgusted. "Finally… an heir… for my brother?"

Touya glared at him and furiously kicked him out of the carriage, but what was the power of a 3 years old kid against a grown up man?

"Touya!" she cried. She didn't want Touya to have anything to do with that man.

Jun growled and furiously pulled Touya out of the carriage, dragging the little boy who was struggling to break free.

"Nooo! No! Touya!" She hurriedly got out of the carriage, leaving Sakura inside.

Outside, the dead bodies of the soldiers who had guarded them were all over the place. Jun's men were watching at the edge of the road near the forest, most of whom were bowmen. She couldn't believe her eyes as Jun dragged Touya to the edge of a cliff; down below it was a dangerous river.

"No! Touyaaa!" she cried hysterically.

"Mother!" Touya called out, still trying to get out of Jun's grip, but it was no use.

"Why, Nadeshiko!? Why!?" Jun roared, making her jump.

She didn't know how to answer his question. Was he taking revenge? He was crazy. How could she be with such a person like him in the first place?

"Why does it have to be my brother!? Why isn't it me!?" he snapped, hatred in his eyes.

"Jun…" she begged.

"My brother already had everything. A future king?" he laughed, disgusted. "The throne, the power, the wit… Everything. Everything that my parents liked. And the woman…"he hissed, his emotion eating him inside. "How could you fall for him so easily? When I had waited for you, Nadeshiko, and you couldn't even tell me that you loved me!" The look in his eyes pierced her.

But how could she tell him that she loved him when she didn't! It had been one sided since the beginning. He had forced her and treated her the way she didn't deserve. She had dug her own grave the moment he laid eyes on her. No one could have stopped him from having what he wanted. No one.

"Mother!" Touya called her again when he felt Jun's grip on his arm tighten even more, pulling him closer to the edge of the cliff.

She looked at him and then Jun, her lips trembling. "I-It's all my fault, Jun. This is between us. M-my son—my son is innocent. Please, let him go, Jun. Please. He has nothing to do with this."

Jun chuckled hearing that. "Nothing to do?" he said rather innocently. "Of course it has something to do with him, my dear." And then, to her horror, he continued, "Because my brother took you away from me. So, I will take the one he treasured the most: his heir!" he roared wildly, and with that said, he swung Touya over the cliff.

Touya screamed madly, his feet dangling in the air while he was holding Jun's hand for dear life.

"Noooooo!" she creamed, running to them, but Jun warned her to stay back.

"Do not come here!" He stepped backward, swinging Touya even further, attempting to drop him. "I can drop him anytime," he threatened.

Touya's hysterical screams filled the air; he was losing his mind. It seemed that her heart just stopped as she looked at the terrifying scene. She couldn't even feel her body. Her son was just a little boy… A little boy…

"J-Jun, let him go. Let him go, J-Jun, l-let him go," she cried, choking, tears streaming down her face. "Let him go… I-I will do anything for you. Anything… I-I promise! Just, just… Please… Let him go. I'll do anything you want me to do," she begged, giving Jun her words. "You can kill me if you want. But…" She looked deeply into his eyes, and he should have seen how much pain was reflecting in hers. "But if you kill him… I will kill you, Jun. I will hunt you down, and I will kill you. And you won't be able to live in peace for the rest of your life until I kill you."

He knew that she meant every of those words. Yet, he just smirked in return. "Anything… Nadeshiko?"

"Yes, anything."

His jaw tightened, and he finally threw Touya harshly back to the ground. "Then leave," he commanded through gritted teeth. "LEAVE!" he roared.

She rushed up to Touya and her hands shook when she checked his condition. "Touya, Touya… Wake up, dear. Wake up!" she cried, shaking him, hoping that he was alright, but he was unconscious. What Jun had done to him was horrible. It was cruel. One would have lost his mind. She stood up, carrying him, his legs wrapped around her stomach.

"Leave, and never come back. You and your son are dead to him. Don't ever show yourselves before our very eyes. Don't ever step your feet on this land again," Jun said it out loud very clearly, yet his voice shaky due to his rage. "If you ever show yourselves again…" he paused, his eyes cold as ice. "Remember, your son is supposed to be dead today."

She stepped backwards and turned her back at him, heading to the carriage to go get Sakura, but an arrow was shot at a sudden, landing on the ground just a step before her.

"I said… You and your son."

Those words wrenched at her heart.

_Dear God…_

She turned to look at him in disbelief, her throat hurt terribly due to the pain she was trying to endure. Another tear dropped to her cheek as she begged him silently.

_My daughter…_

"Leave now before I change my mind." His order was clear.

"**JUN !**" she screamed his name out loud, asking for his forgiveness as she broke down in tears, but he didn't budge.

"I saved your son, and I have your words," he stated.

She stood there for a while in silence, her arms hugging Touya, while Sakura was crying inside the carriage. Her daughter was crying. She was calling her.

"15 seconds," Jun warned.

_My cherry blossom, I love you so much._

_I do love you so much._

_You're my angel, you will always be._

She looked at Jun one last time and said, "You killed us today. It's more than enough. Don't hurt her. I beg you." She felt her own words crushing her heart.

Jun stared at her, his voice lack of emotion as he said, "I won't."

_Dear God…_

_Please forgive my sin._

She ran away from that place, hugging Touya and leaving her daughter behind. The sound of Sakura's cries faded away as Nadeshiko brought herself further from her. While she didn't stop her footsteps to run as far as she could from that place, she kept crying and crying.

She left her daughter, and the love of her life, the father of her children.

_I love you Sakura, Fujitaka._

_Please remember that._

_I love you two so much._

_Forgive me, my beloved._

Jun watched her go, when one of his men asked, "Sir, what are we going to do with the baby?"

"A daughter is not worth it," Jun said. Sakura wouldn't be able to take the throne, so she wasn't a threat. "But she can be his weakness. She would be useful in the future. Keep her," he stated, and the man nodded. "Now clear this mess up. Throw away all of the bodies and the carriage. And you," he called the soldier who was the spy, the traitor.

The soldier came up to him obediently and bowed. "Yes, Sir."

"Bring that child, and tell my brother that the marauders had attacked. No one survived, except you running away with his daughter. He will believe you." Jun smirked after saying those words. It would be such terrible news to his brother, and he couldn't be happier to see his brother's world crumble.

A couple of months later, he would just return to the kingdom and start to make his plan work: stealing his brother's throne.

.

Nadeshiko panted hard as she dropped herself down to the ground, hiding behind a tree, crying uncontrollably. Touya was still unconscious. She looked back to the cliff and her eyes widened in horror.

_No…_

She saw the carriage being thrown off the cliff.

_No… Sakura! My daughter… My daughter… They couldn't possibly just throw her away. They couldn't!_

She cried her eyes out, dying inside.

_He killed her… He killed her…!_

::

:: Present time ::

::

"That time, I thought that I had lost her!" Nadeshiko broke in tears. "I-I was so scared. I never thought of coming back to your father, because of that man, t-that evil man… H-He—he wouldn't let m-me do that! He'd kill you, j-just like I thought he had killed your sister…" She buried her face in her hands.

Touya couldn't believe his ears. He couldn't believe what his mother had told him. What kind of story was that? It was insane.

"But it turned out that Sakura is still alive. My baby… My baby girl is still alive…" She sobbed hard. "But… That man—that man killed your father. He killed him…" she whispered heartbrokenly.

Touya was still trying to put himself together. This was too sudden, and too much for him. How could his mother hide this kind of thing for years!?

"You were still really young, Touya, that you might not remember it. And it was so frightening that your mind would just want to erase that memory forever. But, you know now that your phobia of height is due to that incident at the cliff."

Yes, now he knew it. But this… This was just too shocking. He fell down on his knees, staring blankly at the wall.

"Touya…" she whispered, sitting up on the bed, and reached out to hug him. He could feel her hot tears on his neck as she cried.

_I am Kinomoto Touya, the son of Kinomoto Fujitaka, the heir of Kinomoto…_

_And Lily. She is Sakura, my sister…_

::

::

_Fujitaka stood at the edge of the cliff, holding his daughter in his arms. A tear dropped from his eye as he stared at the view before him, the river flowing dangerously down below. This was the place where his wife and son had died, where a group of marauders had attacked them, killed them, and threw them off this cliff._

_He had commanded his soldiers to look for the bastards and kill them all, but their existence was nowhere to be found. He never thought that one journey back home could make his world fall apart._

_He looked at his daughter, his eyes glistening with tears, and made a vow to himself. He would not let anybody harm her. He would make sure that she was safe, that nobody could hurt her, and that she would be protected from any danger._

_And that time, he hadn't known that one boy, one little boy from the street, would help him make that promise. He would guard and protect her with his own life. He would dice with death and become her warrior, her shield._

_His name? Syaoran Li._

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AN: I'm sorry guys, I had to pause the scene where Syaoran and Yukito were fighting. The plot just had to be this way. The secret had to be revealed! Is there any Touya's fan out there? (Other than Syaoran's, so that I won't be feeling too guilty for postponing the scene LOL). This is already a long chapter, so I had to cut it off and save the moment for the next chapter. But this chapter is really really important, so I had to include it.

Anyways, thanks to you who have reviewed Chapter 1 – 13:

kurukurupa, Aizawa Li Syaoran Vessalius, yingfa07, Razux, lhaine07, Zetsubouaichan, EndlessSugar, Ayr, BlossomCutie, stilldollthorns, humbleblossom, Kagome141414, Musette Fujiwara, Lil Cherry Blossom Angel, SweetSeductionCherryB, Guest, pnaixrose, Squirrellock, moon86, Melzinha, James Birdsong, SallyB, arima, Aritella, Flor de Cerezo, gamma-rae-star, xXxDarkSongxXx, Yina94, LoveLittleWolf, DarknekoKurai, Digidestined10, nesha, Saki, NoNameMary, dreeeamtails, no name, Chopin Etude, Andy, missbunny, leogirl120884

You guys are awesome! J

**Special thanks to Captain Zangano**


	15. Let Her Go

AN: Hello all, I'm really sorryyyyyyyy for the late update. I was on a trip to another country, and I didn't have enough time to write. I feel really bad for not uploading this chapter sooner. Please forgive me? Anyways thanks to all of you who keep reading this story, the plot is coming to an end haha (evil laugh). By the way, I hope you're not gonna hate me (*cough* for whatever happens in this story). I'm a crazy person, so my story is crazy as well. But ONE THING FOR SURE: … (arrrghhhh I can't spoil you the story)

Disclaimer: I do not own CCS. I just own the plot.

**The Warrior – Chapter 15: "Let Her Go"**

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><p>'<em>All I want to do is to protect her and make her happy.'<em>

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><p>"I don't believe one shit that you talked about. Get out of this house," Yukito hissed coldly—and Syaoran's jaw tightened hearing that.<p>

"I'm telling you the damn truth. You don't know what you're gonna face if you're involved in this," Syaoran warned him icily.

"_Get – out_," Yukito spoke in a low voice, slowly and very clearly.

Syaoran's guards were about to step forward to Yukito, thinking how crazy he was to say such a thing to the prince, but Syaoran gave a signal to them not to move.

"I'm not going without her," Syaoran stated firmly, his voice filled with implacable authority. "And I have the right to take her." Now, it was full with emotion he couldn't control.

Yukito looked at him in disbelief and couldn't help but say in disgust, "You're insane. Who the hell do you think—"

"She's my wife."

One sentence… One fact…left Syaoran's lips—and a shock expression hit Yukito's face, horror in his eyes. "I repeat…" Syaoran looked him in the eyes, making him see that every word said was true. "She's my wife."

It was like stabbing Yukito right on his heart. Within seconds, he went mad, storming at Syaoran like he was about to rip him apart, but two of Syaoran's guards blocked him and gripped his arms tightly. "You bastard!" he roared—and Syaoran knew that he deserved those words.

He wasn't being fair to Yukito—he had forced Sakura to marry him even though she had been betrothed to Yukito.

Yukito struggled to break free from his guards as he slowly took off his armors.

"You can do whatever you wish to do to me now, but you have to let her go." He gave Yukito the chance to let out his anger towards him.

Yukito looked at him with hatred, his body shaking with rage.

"What? Isn't this what you've been waiting for?" Syaoran smirked at him. "To try to kill me?" He looked at Yukito intently with his piercing amber eyes— before he added in a low voice, "If you _can_."

Yukito stormed at him, breaking free from his guards with such force, and knocked his fist on Syaoran's face.

Syaoran swayed a little to the side as he hadn't made any attempt to escape from Yukito's attack. He had no attempt to fight back. This was Yukito's only chance—for he wouldn't let Yukito be with Sakura.

She didn't belong here. Yukito had to accept the fact that there was nothing he could do about that— except letting his anger towards him…now…once and for all.

"Leave us," Syaoran told his guards, who looked reluctant to obey his command.

Yukito gripped his collar fiercely, looked him in the eyes and said, "You're definitely gonna die in my hands," he hissed coldly and punched Syaoran in the face again, sending him a few steps backward.

Syaoran spat the blood from his mouth and glared at him.

Man… Yukito wasn't that bad. That was some spirit he got.

His guards were about to attack Yukito from behind with their spears, but his deadly voice and menacing look made them freeze. "I said… Leave us," he repeated his command dangerously—and there was nothing they could do when Yukito landed a kick on his ribs, sending him down to the ground harshly. He could faintly hear women's screams while all he could see was Yukito's angry face above him. He was prepared for another knock of Yukito's fist on his face, when a pair of arms pulled Yukito away from him. His eyes widened.

Sakura…

She hugged Yukito tightly, her face buried on Yukito's chest as a soft sob escaped her lips, her body pushing Yukito away from him. "Yukito… Don't. Don't do this," she cried, her shoulders shaking. "I'm sorry." Now, her voice was barely above a whisper. "I'm sorry. I should have told you earlier, but—but—" She looked up at Yukito with tearful eyes, gulped, and said in a shaky voice, "But, I-I have no intention to betray you. P-please believe me. I—"

"How!?" Yukito roared, making her jump.

Kaho and her friends who had just arrived at the house with her watched the scene in fear.

"How the hell could such a ridiculous thing happen!? You're married to another man! And I thought that we were in love!?"

Yukito's words crushed her heart. It looked like those words really hurt her. "I-I had no choice. I almost died myself when that marriage happened. I didn't mean to—I really didn't mean to betray you," she cried, shaking her head in denial. "Yukito… If there's someone I'd like to marry then it would be you. It would always be you! When I was alone there, I always thought about you…every day. I always missed you! I felt so sad! You don't have any idea how I was feeling! I was so scared! I-I didn't know what I should do. And you weren't even there with me, I—I—" She was trying her best to explain what had happened—and Yukito's eyes softened seeing her broken form. She couldn't finish her sentence. She just cried there to the point that it became difficult for her to even breathe.

"…Lily." Yukito pulled her into a tight hug, closing his eyes as he kissed her hair. His voice now became tender and soft, "You're still Lily, right? Lily, the woman I love?" Yet, it was filled with insecurity. He was indeed scared… scared to death that she was taken away from him… forever.

Just like what Syaoran felt…

"Of course. Who else would I be?" was her answer—and Syaoran stared at them in disbelief as they stood there in each other's embrace.

Reality finally struck him. He could bear being beaten and tortured to death—physically—but this… This… he couldn't stand. To hear those words… to watch this scene… It was too much for him. The next thing he realized was grabbing her arm forcefully and pulling her away from Yukito. She screamed as he dragged her quickly into one of the bedrooms and slammed the door shut with a loud bang, locking it from inside.

"Lily!"

He could hear Yukito calling her, slamming his body against the door.

"God dammit! Open the door, you bastard!" Yukito tried to break the door, but it wouldn't be that easy.

He had some time before Yukito could finally break in. "Sakura," he turned to look at her icily, trying to control the anger that was burning inside him. "What do you think you're doing?"

Her lips trembled when she tried to answer his question, seeing the dangerous look on his face, but nothing came out from her mouth.

"What do you think you're doing, Sakura?" he repeated, but still—he heard nothing. "ANSWER ME!" he roared loudly, making her jump.

She looked at him in fear, stepping backward. Her eyes traveled around the room to find something she could use to protect herself.

Did she actually think that he would harm her—or hurt her…?

Yukito was still shouting madly outside the room, but Syaoran didn't give a shit. "Why did you lie to Mei Lin and Tomoyo? Why!?"

She knew that she was now in trouble for what she had done earlier today.

"Why did you tell them the exact opposite thing to what I had told you this morning, Sakura? When I had made it clear that you shouldn't step outside the castle!" he snapped angrily, waiting for her explanation.

"Because I wanted to leave!" she snapped back, matching his angry tone and expression. "You kidnapped me and imprisoned me in that place! Did you forget about that!?"

That was her point, but he ignored her. "Do you have any idea how your life could have been in danger because of that reckless behavior?" He stepped forward to her, looking at her sharply. "If the Kinomoto soldiers had arrived earlier before I even had a chance to attack them on their way here—and if they had found you, Sakura— you would have been killed!" The thought of it made him want to break something.

She could see that he was mad… really really mad, but she didn't care. "But you didn't tell me that Tomoeda's going to be destroyed. If it had been so, my family would have been gone forever. If it had happened, I would have hated you! Even now—even now I hate you!" she cried.

He looked at her in disbelief, cursing the fact that she had overheard the conversation with his soldiers the night before the fire incident at the stables happened. "You knew that this village was gonna be destroyed, yet you still came here!?"

"I had to see my family and to make sure that they're safe," she said firmly.

"Sakura, I'd be the one who would make sure of that!" he made a statement, not tolerating any objection.

Yet, she didn't think the same. "You don't need to. I never asked you for it!"

His heart sunk hearing that.

Was she saying that she didn't need him?

"We are not doing this. I'm taking you back." He took another step forward— but she took a retreating step, panicking.

"No! Don't you dare come closer!"

His eyes widened when she grabbed the first thing her hand could reach— a small wooden table at the side of the bed— and threw it at him. He managed to block it and threw it aside, causing it to crash the wall and break into pieces.

She was panting, her breaths unsteady.

"Sakura—"

"Don't—come closer. Go away. I'm not going anywhere with y-you—" She choked as a soft sob escaped her lips. "Please—please… Can't you just leave us alone?" she begged him desperately as she burst in tears and looked down in shame.

And it hurt him. It hurt him to see her like that because of him.

Was he… was his presence causing such a pain to her?

Was he that useless to her?

Was she the same woman who had begged him not to leave her and to be by her side forever?

"Sakura, look at me…"

She looked up and her beautiful emerald poles found his broken amber ones. She should have seen that he had no intention to hurt her… or to make her cry.

"Look at me…" His voice was painfully soft and filled with emotion, his longing for her driving him insane. She was standing before his eyes, yet she wasn't her. "I'm Syaoran, your warrior. You really don't remember me… at all?"

Her eyes glistening with tears, she shook her head in shame. "I'm sorry…" was all she could say— guilt was present in her voice.

He had known the answer since the moment he had found her in Tomoeda. He hadn't brought up the question before this, knowing what words she would have said. Although he already knew the answer, it still wrenched at his heart the moment she said that. His body reacted faster than his brain as he stepped closer to her and pulled her into a tight hug before she could even try to escape.

"Get off m—"

"I was just a little boy… a poor little boy from a village!" he said, tightening his hold around her, his voice shaky due to so much emotion he was holding inside. She was never going to come back— when he still had so many things to say to her… so many things he hadn't been able to let her know for years. "And then you came around. You were a little princess and you turned my world upside down— that I was crazy enough to throw myself to a wolf!" He felt her resistance slightly reduced as she heard that—while he kept hugging her. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he smelled her hair. "When you smile, I want it to stay forever. When you laugh, I feel like nothing else matters in this damn world. When you cry, I curse myself for letting that happen. And when you're hurt, I'd make sure that the person responsible for it would pay and that no one or nothing can harm you or hurt you in the future!"

His jaw tightened as he thought about the people who had made her suffer and almost killed her… about how he had failed to protect her as her warrior.

He rested his chin on the back of her neck, whispering to her, "I miss you! I treasure our fights… I treasure our kisses… I treasure all the moments we've spent together since we were kids… Sakura, I—" He finally pulled away and faced her.

Her broken eyes gazed at him with wonder.

"I love you," he finally confessed, making her startled.

She just stared at him in disbelief, not knowing what to say.

This was the time when he finally told her what he had been feeling inside for years. He remembered the moment when she had asked him the question, yet he hadn't given her any answer that time. And now that he had finally told her, she didn't even remember who he was.

She closed her eyes as a tear fell on her cheek, looking down. She sobbed for a while— before she looked at him again deeply with her eyes that had captivated him when he saw her for the first time. "If you do love me, wouldn't it be enough to see me happy?"

His breath was caught up in his throat as he heard that. It was the painful truth. He would let her go if she found her happiness in somewhere else… with someone else.

What was the point of being with her if he couldn't make her happy?

"It's more than enough to see you happy, Sakura…" he told her even though he felt a big hole in his chest.

She deserved to get her happiness— and he wasn't the one who was able to give it to her… no matter how hard he tried.

"Don't cry," he soothed her seeing tears streaming down her face, touching her chin gently— and she looked up at him.

She had shed too many tears. This had to stop. If one should shed another tear, it would be him… not her.

"Shhh… Don't cry…" He descended his face towards hers and kissed her tears.

She closed her eyes as he pressed his lips softly on her eyelid and along the tear way down to the corner of her lips. He stopped— and she opened her eyes to find him looking at her brokenly.

His eyes were reflecting how much he loved her… how she was his everything.

They allowed themselves to get lost in each other's eyes for a while— before his gaze landed again on her lips and he planted a kiss on it. It was so soft—and so quick—that she didn't even have any chance to respond.

He looked away almost immediately after the kiss, not able to look at her one more time since it would bring so much pain seeing her face again. He turned his back at her and walked to the door— when it suddenly opened, revealing Yukito, who looked extremely furious.

"Goodbye, Sakura," Syaoran bid her farewell without turning around. He could hear her soft sob, signaling that she was guilty for not remembering who he was. He wanted to hug her, but another man would do so.

Yukito rushed up to her and hugged her— and she cried in his arms, burying her face on his chest. "It's okay now. It's over. He's leaving now, Lily."

Yukito would be the one to ease her pain, not him. He swallowed the pain inside his throat and walked off to get out of the house, ignoring the looks that Kaho and her friends gave him. They must have been wondering what the hell was going on.

His soldiers gawked at him as they saw the state he was in when he stepped out of the house. "Your highness!" one of them called and quickly held his arm as he almost lost his balance.

Syaoran covered his eyes with his palm as he held unto the soldier, still not believing that he had to let her go. It was one thing that had never crossed his mind—

To let her go…

"Sir, are you alright?"

Syaoran could sense his soldiers' concern. It was the first time they had seen him in such condition— so lost… so very very lost.

"Get everything ready at sunrise. We will start the war soon. Jun will pay for what he did— and she shall live in peace once he dies," he commanded the soldier beside him, his voice unbearably cold.

"Yes, Sir!" the soldier answered to his command right away.

"The rest are to guard this house and protect Sakura and her family. Make sure she is safe and don't let anybody harm her," Syaoran told the other five soldiers with implacable authority.

"Yes, Sir!" they all answered at the same time.

He clenched his fist tightly as he thought about the war, shaking with rage. He was about to leave, when a voice suddenly made him halt.

"Wait!"

He turned around to find Touya approaching him. He wondered what else their problem was. Perhaps… Touya thought that Yukito hadn't given Syaoran enough knock out that he needed to kick Syaoran's ass off himself.

"So… You're gonna have a war with that man, aren't you?" Touya had heard his conversation with the soldiers just now when he was going after him. "I'll come with you."

Syaoran was taken aback, doubting that he had heard him right. Yet—seeing the look on Touya's face— he knew that Touya was serious… dead serious.

"This is a real war. I don't need a man who's only interested in playing games. Soldiers _die _in wars. This will cost lives—and maybe _yours,_" Syaoran spoke to him icily.

"I'm not playing any fucking games!" Touya roared madly, so loudly that the entire village could have heard it. "I can't just let the bastard who has killed my father and made my mother and sister suffer… live in peace," he hissed coldly, his fist shaking with rage and grudge in his eyes.

Syaoran had never seen a man so consumed by his anger before. As if Touya could read his mind, he uttered the next words that explained everything, "I'm Touya, _Kinomoto_ Touya. _I will avenge my family_."

Syaoran stared at him in total shock, trying to swallow the unbelievable information.

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><p>Sakura cried silently in Yukito's arms. She didn't know why she couldn't stop crying. Remembering the prince's face when she had told him to leave made her heart ache. It made her feel like she was the most terrible person in the world.<p>

God… she would do anything to erase his expression from her mind. If she kept crying like this, she would make Yukito worried.

"It's okay. I'm okay now." She pulled away from Yukito's arms and smiled weakly at him, but the look in his eyes told her that he didn't really believe her. She turned to the doorway when Nadeshiko came in abruptly, panting.

"Sakura!" Nadeshiko cried and rushed up to her, falling down to her knees and holding Sakura's legs as she cried on the floor.

Sakura sighed and slowly bent down to face her, touching her shoulders gently. "Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere." She smiled at Nadeshiko, wiping her tears away. However, a frown touched her lips when she realized what Nadehisko had just said. "Hold on… Why did you call me… '_Sakura_'?" She looked at Nadeshiko strangely—and by the look on her face, Sakura knew that something was going on. Her pulse quickened as deep down inside she felt that it was something big.

Nadeshiko cupped her face, her hands shaking, and a weak smile touched her trembling lips. "Sakura…" she whispered brokenly— and soon Sakura would have to be prepared for another fact… a shocking fact…

…that Nadeshiko was her mother.

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><p>Kinomoto Kingdom<p>

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><p>Jun stood up from his throne, not believing his ears after hearing what his soldier had told him. He spoke madly to his soldier, "What do you mean that he's still alive!?"<p>

The soldier jumped at the loudness of his voice— and then he answered in a shaky voice, "H-he must have survived from the cliff, Sir. He is now the Prince of Li, apparently an heir to the kingdom. A-and he wants a war, Sir," he finished his sentence nervously.

Jun wanted to laugh at such nonsense.

_That filthy boy… is now a prince?_

"That filthy boy… dares to threaten me," he spoke through gritted teeth, clenching his fist in rage. He should have killed the boy himself. "Gather all the men. He's such an idiot to think that he can defeat me," he stated in a low voice, accepting the war— and the soldier bowed, obeying his command. He would not live in peace until he made that little wolf bleed to death… until the little wolf cried out his name, begging for forgiveness—and he would finish the little wolf… with no mercy.

"Interesting."

He heard a familiar voice and footsteps drawing nearer. He turned to the source of the sound and found his old friend walking up to him.

"I'd be more than happy to join this party." The man smirked. "I'll make sure that the little wolf is trapped and has nowhere to run." The thought of such person able to steal the heart of his supposed-to-be bride still disgusted him.

"Arthur." A devilish smile crept on Jun's face as he heard Arthur's sentence.

The little wolf didn't have any idea that he would have to battle with two powerful kingdoms instead of one—and he surely would have no fucking chance to win.

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><p>Sakura stared at Nadeshiko with a lost expression, her mouth dropped open, her eyes widened in shock. The story Nadeshiko had just told her was insane.<p>

_This… this isn't right. This can't be true._

"Sakura, my daughter!" Nadeshiko broke down in tears, looking like she didn't mind killing herself if Sakura didn't accept her. "I know that I don't deserve your forgiveness. I don't deserve to be your mother. I'm so ashamed of myself!" she cried her heart out, showing distaste of herself.

Kaho, Chiharu, Rika and Naoko were stunned watching the scene. They couldn't fight the tears that welled up in their eyes.

Of course… How could such a cruel tragedy happen?

Yukito was lost for words. He just froze there.

Sakura was still trying to process the information in her brain. "No… No…" she denied. "If you're really my mother, you wouldn't have left me and my father. You wouldn't have run away, leaving us!" she cried out loud.

Her words crushed Nadeshiko's heart. "I-I had no choice. M-my dear, I had no choice," she said heartbrokenly. "I thought that I lost you already! And he said that he'd kill Touya! Oh God… just the thought of it— the thought of him laying his hands on Touya again after the incident at the cliff— made me lose my mind!" she buried her face in her hands, crying uncontrollably, not wanting to remember that incident anymore.

Kaho suddenly tensed up— the thought of what her husband would do crossed her mind. Immediately, she ran out of the room to find Touya, hoping that he wouldn't do anything reckless.

Sakura crawled backward and curled down against the wall as fear started to consume her. She had never thought that she would have faced such an evil person in her life. The thought of it made her shudder.

"Sa-Sakura, my dear… The prince! The prince!" Nadeshiko suddenly pointed out. "Where is he?" she asked quickly, panicking. "He-he knows you, your father— and he knows what's going on to protect you from Jun! Sakura, I-I think we have to follow him—"

"No!"

Before Sakura could even respond to what she said, Yukito cut her off. He glared at her— before he walked up to Sakura and helped her stand on her feet. He then pulled her closer to him, gripping her shoulder so tightly that it hurt.

"Yu—Yukito," Sakura whimpered with pain.

"No one is going to take her away," he stated intolerantly, eyeing every single person in the house menacingly.

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><p>Thanks to: yingfa07, Melzinha, lhaine07, gamma-rae-star, Seara A, LoveLittleWolf, SallyB, xXxDarkSongxXx, Andy, moon86, moon730, Kat, Guest, AngelRoseStar15, mary marksman, Noelle<p> 


	16. A Moment to Remember

AN: I apologize for not updating this story for a long time. I will still continue this story no matter what. So, please please please forgive me for being such a bad author.

I hope you guys would stay tuned, because this is coming to an end *wink wink

And thanks to all of you who have reviewed my story. Please keep reviewing so that I will know what my readers think. J

Disclaimer: I do not own CCS. I just own the plot.

**The Warrior – Chapter 16: "A Moment to Remember"**

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Sakura stared at the ceiling as she tried to close her eyes again. Still, she couldn't sleep. After what had happened last night, Yukito had dragged her forcefully into his house, ignoring Nadeshiko, who had been trying to make Sakura stay with her, and Sakura ended up staying in his room.

She couldn't take off her mind of what Nadeshiko had told her earlier – she was Nadeshiko's biological daughter, and the Princess of Kinomoto Kingdom.

Was Nadeshiko a queen? One who had left her and her father, when she was still a baby? Could it possible true that this was related to why the Prince of Li had kidnapped her? What if all the things that had happened to her were to protect her from the evil man, Jun? Yet, what was the relation between the Li and the Kinomoto Kingdom? The Prince of Li had said that he was her warrior.

A knock on the door startled her.

"Lily."

It was Yukito's voice. She abruptly sat up on the bed.

"Had a good sleep?" Yukito opened the door, a charming smile plastered on his face.

Sakura smiled weakly at him, throwing no answer to his question.

Yukito noticed the worried look on her face, and frowned, approaching her. "What's wrong?" He sat on the bed, and touched her cheek, looking at her with concern.

"I… I just… There are so many things inside my head now. What happened last night keeps bothering me."

"Lily, you don't have to think about that," Yukito tried to reassure her as he touched her chin, and made her face him.

Somehow, Sakura could see a glint of fear in his eyes. "No, Yukito. I can't. Did you hear what Nadeshiko had told us last night? I could care less about the prince, but Nadeshiko is different. She is like a mother to me, and I trust her… and she said that she's my real mother, Yukito! My real mother! She was a queen, and she said that my father was murdered. Oh, Yukito… I don't know—"

"Lily, stop!" Yukito insisted, holding her shoulders firmly, his eyes looking into hers sharply. "Just stop worrying about it. Nothing that had been told last night made sense."

"Oh, I wish I could remember something –even just a bit— about my past—"

"LILY !"

Her sentence had made Yukito roar. He looked restless, disbelief in his eyes.

Sakura just realized – it was the last thing he would want to hear from her.

"The prince lied when he told us that you're the Princess of Kinomoto Kingdom whose life was in danger. He used such a filthy trick to get you back and make you stay with him forever. As for Nadeshiko, I don't know what had gotten into her… But perhaps, she did believe him, shamelessly…She was excited by the possibility that you could be a princess of a kingdom, and so she took that as an advantage, to lie about being your biological mother, so that she can stay inside a castle as well," Yukito finished his sentence, with greeted teeth.

Now, it was Sakura's turn to look at him in disbelief. She couldn't believe that he just threw those words so easily. "Didn't you see how Nadeshiko had cried last night? I had never seen her so devastated. She—she was—she was even begging for my forgiveness…" She could feel tears welling up in her eyes as she remembered that moment. "Yukito, I don't think that she was lying. You know her, even better than I do. She wouldn't do something like that."

Yukito's jaw tightened as she defended Nadeshiko. "So, now what? You're saying that you're just gonna follow what she had suggested earlier? To follow the prince!? Now, you're just gonna run after him and leave me!?" He snapped, his voice shaky due to his rage.

Sakura was lost for words. She hadn't even said anything about following the prince. Yukito was making his own judgment.

This wasn't right. He wasn't thinking clearly. He was becoming paranoid.

She took a step backward as she looked at him cautiously; fear started to grow inside her.

Yukito sensed this, and tried to get closer to her. His voice, suddenly, turned softer, "Baby, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you." He caught her arms, looking intently into her eyes, and suddenly, pulled her into a tight hug. "Everything will be alright, Lily. I'm here with you. You don't need to think about anything. Just be with me," he whispered urgently in her ear, more like insisting, and strangely, it sent shivers down her spine.

"Yu—Yukito—" Sakura tried to speak, when he planted kisses on her neck, his body pushing her down onto the bed with him on top. "Yukito, it's not that simple—" she tried to argue and break free from him, but he didn't let her move.

Yukito locked her hands with his, and stared at her. He lowered his head to kiss her on the lips, but she, suddenly, turned away. His jaw tightened seeing this, and he held her face roughly, making her look up at his face.

Sakura winced in pain as she felt his grip on her cheeks.

"Would you have allowed it, had it been the prince kissing you?" Yukito hissed painfully.

Sakura couldn't help but think about the truth behind it. Tears formed in her eyes as she remembered how she had allowed herself to kiss the prince. Now, the man who she had proclaimed as the one she loved was questioning her about how she couldn't give him the exact same thing.

She turned her head as he tried to kiss her again forcefully, and a tear dropped from her eye. She remembered the prince saying, _'You wouldn't throw yourself to any man but me.'_

Could it possibly be true? Could it possibly true that the prince had had her heart from the beginning?

"Let me go," Sakura begged as Yukito kept locking her on the bed with his body, and she whimpered when he bit her neck. "Let me go," she pleaded again, her sobs beginning to break. "Please, Yukito…" She shut her eyes in desperation, her lips trembling when his kisses reached the area between her breasts. "Get off me!" she cried out loud, and he stopped short.

Yukito then looked at her, with anger. "What? Didn't you tell me that you love me!?" he snapped.

Sakura just stared at him weakly, tears already streaming down her face.

Couldn't he see that he was hurting her?

"I do… I do…" she looked at him heartbrokenly. "It's just… You're different, Yukito. I thought I knew you, but –" Her eyes widened when she saw him raising his hand, and a second after that, a slap was landed on her cheek.

She touched her swollen cheek, her whole body shaking. The slap was painful, but what hurt the most was the pain inside her heart.

Was this the man she loved? Did he really love her? No, the man she loved, and the one who loved her, wouldn't hurt her, would he?

"You're not going anywhere, Lily. You're mine." Yukito looked at her icily, as if accepting no objection, and with that said, he flipped her, so that she was lying on her stomach, and he had access to untie the backside of her dress.

"No!" Sakura cried, trying to break free, but what was the power of a woman compared to a man? "Yukito, please!" she begged him to stop, but he cared not. She shivered, feeling his breath on her bare back. "No, please, Yukito. I don't want this… Help! Help…!" she creamed, in fear of what was happening, hoping that someone would hear and stop what was expected to be a rape.

"Shut up!" Yukito warned, covering her mouth with his hand to muffle her screams.

Sakura took that chance to grip his hand and bit it, making him groan in pain.

Furious, Yukito pulled her hair roughly, and threw her aside, causing her head to hit the wooden board of the bed.

Sakura winced in pain, touching her head, and was surprised to see that her whole palm was covered in blood.

Her head was bleeding…

She looked up at Yukito to find him staring at her in shock. Perhaps, he couldn't believe himself that he could do that to her. She tried to stand up, ignoring the terrible pain on her head, wishing that she wouldn't pass out anytime soon.

"Don't – touch – me," she warned him, with a hurt look in her eyes. "_Ever… again…" _she added firmly. He was about to make a move, but she quickly backed off and pulled the door open.

"Don't you dare—" Yukito looked at her in disbelief, clenching his fist in anger. "Get back here!" he ordered.

"Goodbye, Yukito." Without waiting for his respond, Sakura turned on her heels, and ran out of the house as fast as she could. She heard him still shouting madly, but she chose to go, and ignored what he wanted.

A man who had once confessed that he loved her turned out to be the one she did not know, one who would hurt her the most. Had it all been obsession… not love?

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Sakura cried as she kept running away from Yukito. She was terrified that he would get her. He would definitely get her, if he ran after her!

Without realizing, she had made her way through the forest. She looked up to find all the giant trees surrounding her. It was still a bit dark outside, and everything seemed even darker, and darker, as she went deeper inside the forest.

"Ah!" She stumbled upon some rock, and fell down with her face lying on the ground.

Her body was injured, so was her head, but it was nothing compared to her heart, which felt like it had been stabbed a thousand times. She didn't know anymore who the people around her were. She didn't know who she should believe in. She didn't even know who she really was.

_Who am I…?_

She sobbed heartbrokenly as she lay there helplessly on the ground.

Suddenly, a strong smell struckher nose, and the atmosphere became very heavy. Something growled under its breath, sending goose bumps all over her body. Her heart beat faster as the creature let out the second growl, and she realized what it was…

A predator.

Her whole body shaking, she tried to sit up and got closer to the bushes. Her eyes widened in fear when she peeped behind the bushes to see the creature.

It was a wolf.

She was petrified. She couldn't move her body at all. Her lips trembling, she curled, and hid behind the bushes, hugging her knees. Her heart nearly stopped when the wolf walked to her direction.

She was screaming inside her heart, hoping that someone would come to save her.

She froze at that thought.

This—this had happened before. Yes, it had happened! No need to worry… Someone would come to rescue her.

But, who…? Who would come…? A man? …No. A soldier? …No. A boy? …A boy would come to rescue her.

_S-s-syaoran…_

The name was spoken in her heart. He would come! He was the one. He was the little boy.

* * *

><p><em>"I was just a little boy… A poor little boy from a village!" Syaoran said, tightening his hold around her, his voice shaky due to so much emotion he was holding inside. "And then, you came around. You were a little princess, and you turned my world upside down, that I was crazy enough to throw myself to a wolf!"<em>

* * *

><p>She wanted to scream his name out loud. A tear dropped on her cheek. She remembered…<p>

She remembered how they had met for the first time…

* * *

><p><em>Syaoran sighed as he felt the heat of the sun. He splashed the cold water on his face, but was startled when he saw a beautiful face appeared behind him at the reflection on the lake.<em>

_He quickly turned around to find Sakura there._

_"Ah, I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to surprise you," Sakura stuttered._

* * *

><p>He was the one who would sacrifice his own life to save her.<p>

* * *

><p><em>'It's gonna be okay. Don't worry. It's gonna be okay,' Syaoran told Sakura softly through his eyes, and she nodded. He shot one of his arrows at the wolf when it headed for her. <em>

_The wolf growled furiously as the sharp metal pierced its skin. Its attention was switched to him._

_"Argghh!" a painful scream escaped Syaoran's lips as the wolf bit his shoulder. He felt as if his body was ripped apart._

* * *

><p>Why would he save her? She was just a little girl… Oh… it was so easy to love him. He was her best friend, the one she shared her laughter with.<p>

* * *

><p><em>Laughter filled the air as Sakura and Syaoran rode their horses inside the woods. She led at the front, with her white horse. "C'mon, Syaoran!" she said, laughing, as she glanced back over her shoulder at him. "Catch me if you can! You'll be sorry to underestimate me!"<em>

_"I will catch you, even if you don't order me to," Syaoran said jokingly, but he meant every of those words._

_Sakura laughed as she felt him catching up behind._

* * *

><p>A friend, a loved one who would scold her if she did something wrong, who cared about her, so much, that it hurt…<p>

* * *

><p><em>"Did you enjoy that!?" Syaoran raised his voice, and Sakura's heart sank. "Do you think that it's funny to fool around like that? Did you enjoy pretending hurting yourself!?"<em>

_"Syaoran, it was only—"_

_"Don't you ever think? Does the_ _princess_ _ever think about the goddamn thing that would ever happen to her?"_

_"Syaoran, please—"_

_"Answer me!" he growled, and she jumped hearing his tone._

* * *

><p>He would be the one who would ease her pain, one who would always be there for her and wipe her tears away.<p>

* * *

><p><em>"I just want to disappear," Sakura stated. "I want to disappear now!" She broke in tears.<em>

_"No, don't you dare say that." Syaoran pulled her in a hug as she cried. "There's nothing to worry about. I am here with you."_

_"My father also told me that he would be here with me, but now he's gone! You're lying, Syaoran! I hate you. I hate you!" Sakura hit his chest. She was trying to break free, but he didn't let go._

_"I'm here with you, and I will always be," Syaoran said. He looked her in the eyes, and she found truth. He then kissed her softly, and repeated, "I'm here, Sakura." He could taste her tears as he kissed her. _

_Sakura began to calm down, and slowly returned the kiss._

* * *

><p>She closed her eyes as unforgiving tears kept falling from her eyes. How could she forget about him? How could it be, when her love for him had been this big? She loved him, so much… She had felt like dying when she had thought that she had lost him forever.<p>

* * *

><p><em>Takashi looked at Sakura, with sad eyes. Then, he shook his head. "I'm sorry, Sakura."<em>

_Sakura looked at him in disbelief. Her heart was just broken into pieces. In fact, she... was broken. No one would ever see Sakura anymore. She would not be the same person without Syaoran. She died when he did._

_"Nooo, Tak! He promised me that he would never leave me!" Sakura cried in denial. She tried to get pass him and out of the room. "Let me see him! Let me see him! You just lied to me! You lied!" She tried to break free when he held her. A few servants came into the room worriedly._

* * *

><p><strong><em>I love you, Syaoran. I love you so much…<em>**

Sakura sobbed uncontrollably on the ground as she regained her memory. The wolf had gone, leaving her alone. It was a miracle that it hadn't noticed her existence, while at the same time, she had been given her precious memories back... All of them: her warrior, her family, and her kingdom.

She couldn't help but think about how she had hurt Syaoran with her words, and with how she had acted towards him. He must have been really crushed. Yet, she still remembered the words he had confessed to her…

* * *

><p><em>"I miss you! I treasure our fights… I treasure our kisses… I treasure all the moments we've spent together since we were kids… Sakura, I—" Syaoran finally pulled away, and faced her. "I love you," he finally confessed, making her startled.<em>

* * *

><p><em>I love you too…<em>

She wished she had given him that answer that time.

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Li Kingdom

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Syaoran and Touya stood in front of the thrones, facing the king.

"So, are you prepared for the war?" the King asked.

"Yes, father," Syaoran answered firmly. "Justice has to be served. This war is needed to protect those people who deserve peace in this land."

The King then turned to look at Touya, and said, "Kinomoto Touya, you will fight your own kingdom and men of your own. What say you?"

"My uncle is none other but a traitor. I will fight to protect my family and the true people of Kinomoto."

The King looked satisfied by the answers, saying, "And Li will help our brothers, the true people of Kinomoto." He then turned to face Syaoran again. "Syaoran…" His voice was an old man's, but never lack of authority. Only this time, it was more fatherly. "When you have made a decision on which path you choose, even if it's a sacrifice to be made, for the bigger purpose in this world… and when you have something to fight for…: family, brothers, and your loved ones… then only you can become a true leader… and a true man." He might not have showed it directly, but Syaoran could see that he was proud of his son. He then looked at Syaoran sharply, and raised his voice, commanding, "Win this war! And us, together with the Kinomoto, shall unite, and create the strongest bond."

Syaoran smiled hearing his father's words, and looked at Touya, who shared the same expression.

.

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Later.

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Sakura thanked God when she saw a few of Li soldiers in front of her house. It seemed that Syaoran had ordered some of his soldiers to keep guarding this village. She was about to approach them from behind, when she heard one of them speak.

"Have you heard about the change of plans for the war?"

Sakura's heart almost skipped a beat when she heard the word 'war'.

"Yeah, man. I never thought that Kinomoto would pull out another trick from their bag…: allying with another kingdom. And guess which one would that be? The Drake Bryton! They could be the toughest enemy," the other soldier commented; worry was present in his voice.

"We're lucky, we had a spy. His Highness the Prince could still put some modifications on plan B, but how will that change the situation? I really don't know, man," another soldier shook his head in frustration as he thought about his friends. "Let's just hope that they won't be killed."

"You're right. It's about sunrise now. They must have arrived in Kinomoto."

Sakura froze. She couldn't believe that Syaoran had decided to fight in a war, and judging by what she had just heard, his army would be outnumbered. Without thinking further, she ran to one of the soldiers' horse, and jumped on it.

"Your Highness!" the soldiers yelled panicky when they saw her riding off. "Shit." They were going to chase her and make her stop.

Sakura couldn't fight the tears that kept coming out as she sped off to one of the most dangerous battle field.

_Syaoran! Don't die…_


	17. The Warrior

AN: Thank you to all of you who keep reading and reviewing this story. Thank you for being patient and always supporting Syaoran and Sakura.

Disclaimer: I do not own CCS. I just own the plot.

**The Warrior – Chapter 17: "The Warrior"**

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"Move! Move! Move!" Syaoran told his soldiers frantically, as they made their way inside the sewer.

Jun wouldn't have expected that there had been a secret passage below the ground, one that hadn't been discovered by anyone, except Syaoran. He forgot that the building of Kinomoto Castle itself had been modified by the previous king, who was none other than his brother, Fujitaka, and there was information about this castle Fujitaka hadn't even shared with him. Yet, Fujitaka had shared it with the warrior of this castle, the one he had entrusted his daughter to.

There was a hidden passage connecting the castle to the outside world, and it was this sewer. It started at a cave, at the sea side, half hidden by the sea water, and ended at the dungeon inside the castle.

Syaoran had divided his soldiers into three groups that had different specific tasks. One of them was to enter the castle secretly with him, through this hidden passage, and attack the enemies from inside. The second group was led by Touya, who had to meet Takashi at the top of the castle by climbing up the back wall of the castle. The third group was to wait for Syaoran's command, in front of the main gate of the castle, but far enough not to be shot by the bowmen standing by on the fourth and fifth level of the castle.

After nearly half an hour journey inside the sewer, he and the first group finally reached the end of the passage. He climbed up, and got rid of the lid covering the tunnel, emerging at the dungeon. He smirked, as he glanced at the familiar surroundings. A few steps ahead, there was a jail used to store some weapons. He remembered this passage had been specifically created by Fujitaka for Sakura to escape during war. Too bad for Jun: he didn't even know about this classified information.

"Come on, guys. It's show time," Syaoran told his soldiers, as they climbed up from the sewer. "Take those. You may need some extra," he ordered some of them, pointing at the weapons stored inside the jail.

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Meanwhile. At the back of the castle.

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Touya looked up at the rooftop to find a Kinomoto soldier waving his arm at them. "That's it! That's the sign! It's Takashi," he told his group. "Now!" he commanded.

One of the soldiers nodded, and threw the rope anchor towards the rooftop, preparing to climb. The other soldiers followed suit.

It was easier than what Touya had thought, since most of the Kinomoto soldiers' attention was switched to the east, the front gate. He climbed the back wall of the castle with the rope, and when he reached the top, a hand helped him.

"Welcome to Kinomoto. I'm Takashi," the man shook his hand, as he stood at the rooftop.

"Thanks. I'm Touya," he said, a bit panting.

"I mean, welcome back," Takashi then corrected amusedly, smirking. "We are glad to have you back here, Your Highness."

He was about to respond to Takashi's words, when another Kinomoto soldier suddenly interrupted. "Tak, all clear! Syaoran's here already. He's taking care of the soldiers at the ground level. The bowmen are still at standby," the soldier informed quickly, before he joined with some other Kinomoto soldiers, helping out the Li soldiers who were climbing to the rooftop.

"Great," Takashi said, before he turned to Touya again, who was surprised to see the Kinomoto soldiers helping them. Before he could utter a word, Takashi said, "Well, not every Kinomoto soldier is loyal to Jun. The one who are with me now are not traitors. They know which path they should choose. We all miss your father. He was a great king," Takashi told him truthfully.

Those words really meant a lot to Touya. It was such a loss for Jun: some of his soldiers already betrayed him, staying loyal to the previous king.

"Thanks, man," Touya smiled, and patted Takashi's shoulder. Then, he looked back at the Li soldiers who had just arrived at the rooftop, waiting for his command.

"This way!" Takashi told him quickly, leading the way to the front part of the castle.

Then, they all followed Takashi.

"Intruder!" One of the Kinomoto guards saw them running, and attacked Touya with his spear, but he quickly blocked it with his shield. The guard then jumped over him to attack from behind, but he quickly turned around and slashed the guard's shoulder before the guard even got the chance to stab him.

Takashi whistled, as they continued running with the group following behind, and said, "I'm impressed. So, after all, you were a –"

"A soldier?" he finished Takashi's question before Takashi could say the word. "Nah, I was a carpenter, but I promised my wife that I'd come back to her alive," he joked.

Takashi laughed, and led them in climbing down to the sixth level carefully. He told them to look down, and whispered, "They're here. The bowmen."

Touya looked down to find tens of bowmen ready to shoot the third group, the largest group of Li soldiers standing by in front of the main gate of Kinomoto Kingdom. However, the bowmen couldn't shoot them yet, since they were still too far. Of course, they couldn't get closer to the castle, unless Syaoran had given them the signal to attack through the front gate.

Touya looked at Takashi, and both of them nodded. "Now!"

Hearing the command, the group jumped down to the fifth level, and attacked the bowmen. The painful screams of the enemies filled the air, as they were slashed by the Li soldiers' swords.

A bowman took out an arrow and was about to stab Touya, but he sent the bowman down with his sword before the arrow could touch his flesh. The bowman's eyes widened, as Touya slashed his chest and sent him down.

"Down! Down to the fourth level!" Touya ordered his group to follow him, as he jumped down the fourth level, where other tens of bowmen were standing by. The bowmen didn't have the chance to fight back with their arrows, as they attacked the bowmen with swords.

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Sounds of swords clashing with each other filled the air, as the first group battled with the Kinomoto soldiers, at the ground level inside the castle. Syaoran dodged when an enemy launched an attack with his sword, and then rolled over to his side when he swung his sword again towards Syaoran. In no time, Syaoran had grabbed his neck from behind, and stabbed him.

Syaoran turned to another direction, where three Kinomoto soldiers stormed at him madly. He slashed them one by one, and sent them down to the ground. He looked up to the rooftop to find that the second group – with the help of Takashi's group—had defeated the bowmen. Soon, the second group and Takashi's would join the battle at the ground level.

The third group would also be able to enter the castle safely through the front gate, since the bowmen had been defeated. Once the third group joined the battle, he could leave his troops to go find Jun, or Arthur.

"The gate! Now!" he commanded his soldiers to open the front gate from inside.

The soldiers immediately approached the gate, and pulled it open. Some of the enemies tried to attack them, but arrows were shot to their flesh before they could succeed.

He looked up to find the Li soldiers at the rooftop already taking charge with the arrows, shooting at the enemies who were trying to stop the front gate being opened.

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Meanwhile, outside the castle. The third group.

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"That's it! Attaaaaack!" one of the Li soldiers yelled, as he saw the front gate being opened, reining on his horse.

All the soldiers then drew out their swords, and raised them up in the air, as they sped off with their horses towards the main gate of Kinomoto Kingdom. "Attaaaaack!"

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Syaoran saw his soldiers storming on their horses into the castle, finishing all the enemies who were on their way. More blood was shed, everywhere, as the Kinomoto and Drake Bryton soldiers were slashed by his soldiers' swords, having no chance to flee.

The third group absolutely had the upper hand, since they had their rides, and the enemies had no power, as they were being attacked from three different directions at the same time: inside, outside, and from the top of the castle.

Jun had underestimated the number of his enemies, that he forgot to think about the strategy. Syaoran looked around to find Jun, but as he had expected, Jun wouldn't just appear before him at the battle field. Arthur would definitely try to find him, but Jun was different: his pride wouldn't let him. Syaoran should be the one who came to Jun, not the other way around.

Syaoran ran from the battle field to the building of the castle, climbing up the stairs to the entrance door, sending down some enemies who were trying to get on his way. When he reached the entrance door, and was about to push it, he threw a meaningful glance at Touya, who was climbing down from the rooftop to the battle field. The look in his eyes told Touya to follow him.

"Syaoran!"

He heard Touya shouting at him when he entered.

"Wait!"

He walked inside the familiar building, through the long hallway. It was cold and deserted, since most of the soldiers were out, fighting until their very last breath.

Before he could reach the throne, two Kinomoto soldiers got in his way and drew out their swords. Syaoran kicked one of the soldiers' sword out of his hand before he could even get the chance to attack. Syaoran then slashed him, sending him to the ground.

Syaoran blocked another sword aimed at him with his sword, as the second soldier attacked him. He swirled the soldier's sword around, and it fell to the ground. He then kicked the soldier's chest, breaking his ribs and making him fall to the ground harshly. The soldier had no power to go after him when he continued his way to the throne.

His jaw tightened when he saw Jun standing there.

"Well, well, well…"

It was the voice of the man he had been holding his grudge on, the one who was the cause of the terrible things happening to the Kinomoto Kingdom.

"If it isn't the little wolf."

He could see Jun was smirking, even though he was facing Jun's back. Then, Jun slowly turned around to see him, and Syaoran saw him again: silver eyed, dark grey haired cunning man who wouldn't mind getting rid of anyone who crossed his path, a person who would do anything to get what he wanted.

Jun eyed him from head to toe, and he could see Jun was disgusted. "A prince now?" Jun spoke in a cold, low voice, but then burst into laughter. "You're nothing but a poor filthy boy from the street!"

He felt pity, seeing how low Jun was as a human being. He spoke to Jun, with the same coldness, "Tell me, Jun. How does it feel to see your army defeated?" he said it matter-of-factly, since Jun's alliances and soldiers were now scattered all around the place, helpless, not knowing where to run.

Jun only raised a brow, and said, "Well, you must be very brave, coming here." Slowly, he stepped down from the throne, and continued to say with disgust, "Or… foolish?" Then, he looked at Syaoran, with hatred, and hissed dangerously, "Do you think that you can defeat me, filthy little boy? You are just a trash we picked up on the street. My brother was being too kind –and too generous—to you, and so, he failed as a leader. Poor…poor big brother. Kinomoto deserved a better king than him."

Jun noticed how Syaoran was sick over hearing all the words, and it made an even better entertainment for him. Suddenly, another smirk touched his lips. "Aha… I know… I know why you came here!"

Syaoran looked at Jun strangely, wondering what he was about to say.

Jun took one more step down from the throne, and looked at him amusedly. "Sa-ku-ra!"

Syaoran's jaw tightened that instant. "Don't you dare say her name," he warned Jun icily.

Jun roared out laughter hearing that; he laughed so hard, like he was insane. "Oh, forgive me… I really had a good laugh. You came here for her?" He let out a sigh, and then continued, "I'm sure that you've heard about the undeniable fact. My niece… Tsk… Tsk… Poor little thing. She loved you so much, wouldn't stop crying when she thought that you're gone."

Syaoran clenched his fist in anger, reminded of how it had happened, how they had plotted the trap.

"Sadly, that stubborn kid wouldn't listen to my command. So… I had no choice…" Jun stopped his sentence for a while, enjoying looking at Syaoran, who was shaking with rage. "…but to burn that ungrateful kid, while she was sleeping peacefully like a child."

"You bastard!" Syaoran furiously drew out his sword, storming at Jun.

That incident had made Sakura lose her memory, had caused so much misery and pain in her life, and it almost took her life. Yet, Jun spoke about it like it was nothing!

Jun quickly blocked Syaoran's attack with his sword.

"She trusted you!" Syaoran roared.

Sakura used to trust Jun as her uncle, as her family, since she was very young.

Jun smirked distastefully hearing his sentence. "Not enough to make her bow to my every command." He pushed Syaoran's sword against his, swirling it around, and both of them jumped backwards due to the force of their swords clashing with each other.

Syaoran eyed Jun's movements, and blocked Jun's attack with his sword when Jun jumped at him. He then rolled over on the ground, at another direction, to face Jun again.

Jun stormed at him to attack again, but Syaoran dodged sideways and slashed his left stomach. He groaned in pain, blood pouring out from his flesh, rage in his eyes. "You…" he hissed.

Syaoran dodged down when Jun swung his sword sideways, and quickly got behind him, slashing his legs so that he fell down to the ground.

Jun then turned his body around to face Syaoran, while he was lying on the floor, still holding his sword with both hands.

Syaoran swung his sword with full force, and Jun closed his eyes, as Syaoran cut his sword in two. The sound of the metal dropping to the ground echoed in the room.

Jun opened his eyes again when the tip of Syaoran's sword touched his chin, and found Syaoran looking at him coldly. "What now? You're gonna kill me?" he smirked shamelessly, even though he couldn't hide his fear. He had lost. He was defeated by the little wolf.

Syaoran smirked back at Jun, saying, "It wouldn't be me." He released his sword from Jun, and put it back in its place. "Touya," he called, knowing that Touya had just arrived to see what was happening.

The sound of footsteps echoed in the room, as Touya approached them.

Jun immediately got up to his feet to see the newcomer. "Impossible…" His eyes widened, seeing Touya standing there.

Touya could see Jun was extremely shocked, not believing what he had just heard, and who he was seeing.

"It's about time, Jun," were Syaoran's last words before he turned away from Jun, and walked to Touya. They exchanged looks, and Touya nodded slightly at him, silently telling him to leave the rest.

Syaoran understood, and patted his shoulder, before walking off.

Touya turned his attention back to the helpless man who was standing in front of him and holding a broken sword. "Long time no see, uncle," he greeted Jun coldly, eyeing him from head to toe.

Jun was the man who had destroyed his family, the one who had separated him and his mother from his father and his sister, who had made their life so miserable.

Jun studied Touya's feature. His body shook, seeing the glare on Touya's face. "You—you…" he stuttered, lost for words.

Yes, Touya was the same kid who had thrown Jun the same glare, when Jun killed all the soldiers guarding him and his mother during their journey back home 18 years ago.

* * *

><p><em>They thought that they were literally going to die when they heard footsteps coming closer to the carriage. The door burst open, and Nadeshiko's eyes widened in shock.<em>

_"Well well well. Look who I've found here," Jun spat in disgust. "It seems that my brother treated you well." He eyed her from head to toe, and then looked at Touya. Jun's expression changed even more disgusted. "Finally… an heir… for my brother?"_

_Touya glared at him, and furiously kicked him out of the carriage, but what was the power of a 3 years old kid against a grown up man?_

* * *

><p>Touya was the same kid who he almost threw off the cliff, who he had proclaimed dead.<p>

* * *

><p><em>"Because my brother took you away from me. So, I will take the one he treasured the most: his heir!" Jun roared wildly, and with that said, he swung Touya over the cliff.<em>

_Touya screamed madly, his feet dangling in the air, while he was holding Jun's hand for dear life._

_"Noooooo!" Nadeshiko screamed, running to them, but Jun warned her to stay back._

_"Do not come here!" Jun stepped backward, swinging Touya even further, attempting to drop him. "I can drop him anytime."_

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><p>Touya was the son of the woman Jun had desired. He was the son of Jun's brother, who was supposed to remain king. And, he was the only one who deserved the crown and the throne of his father. He was the true heir of Kinomoto, and he was Jun's nightmare.<p>

Jun shivered, fear in his eyes, as Touya stepped closer to him. "It can't be… How dare you come here? That woman—that filthy woman—broke our agreement. You, son of a bi—"

Touya put the tip of his sword under Jun's chin, looking at Jun coldly.

Jun's hand shook in fear, dropping his broken sword. The sound of it clashing with the ground echoed in the room.

"Do not speak of my mother," Touya told Jun menacingly. "You've broken your fucking promise not to hurt my sister. Now, just answer my fucking question," he threatened Jun, pushing the tip of his sword at Jun's neck. "Did you kill my father?" he asked Jun, his voice low and cold.

Jun looked at Touya with hatred, just like he was wishing Touya to die like his brother.

"I repeat!" Touya started to lose his patience. "Did you kill my father!?" he roared, his voice shaky because of rage.

Amazingly, Jun smiled. It was a nervous smile though. Seeing his opponent got angry seemed to make himself feel more powerful. He then let out a pitiful laugh. "Your father was a weak man."

Touya's eyes widened, his heart beating faster, as he wondered what kind of words Jun would say.

"At the last minute of his life, he was begging me. _He _was _begging me _to save him. And do you want to know the last thing I said to him before he died?" Jun hissed proudly.

Touya's hand shook with rage, trying to hold his sword still.

"That he shouldn't have been born from the start!"

He lost control of himself, as he stormed at Jun, and cornered Jun to the wall. The side of his sword pushed Jun's neck onto the wall, Jun's feet dangling in the air.

Jun choked for air miserably. Would he beg Touya to save him now?

No, Jun wouldn't. His pride was too big for that. Yet, Touya could see, from the fear in his eyes, he was begging Touya to let him go, to spare his life.

Touya looked at Jun with anger, tears welling up in his eyes. "For my father…" With that said, he released his sword from Jun's neck, and stabbed Jun right at the heart.

Jun's eyes widened, as his life was taken. He breathed painfully, "Na…de…shi…ko—"

And her name was his last word before his death.

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"Little woooolllff!" Arthur roared, seeing the disaster happening at the battle field. He couldn't believe that the war would have turned out into something like this, that the little wolf would have had such a strategy to defeat his army.

"Looking for someone?"

Arthur turned around, after hearing Syaoran's voice.

Syaoran jumped from one of the balconies to the ground, facing Arthur. The battle field around them had been a chaos for Arthur's troops, but a victory for Li. He smiled, seeing anger on Arthur's face. "It's such a waste that an empire like Drake Bryton will be nothing but a history in a few hours, but at least, your people will be in good hands."

Arthur looked at Syaoran with anger. "You…" he hissed. "You're supposed to be dead already!"

Syaoran looked at Arthur coldly, remembering Arthur was the one who had plotted the trap to kill him and to take advantage of Sakura. Yet, he would still give Arthur one warning. "Leave. Don't fucking mess up with this kingdom, ever again, and we may not harm you."

Hearing that, Arthur spat in disgust. "I had no other intention but to kill you," he said in a low voice, coldly. He then drew out his sword to battle with Syaoran.

Syaoran drew out his sword as well, waiting for Arthur to attack him.

"Diie!" Arthur growled, swinging his sword upon Syaoran.

Syaoran dodged sideways to escape, and blocked Arthur's following attacks with his sword. The sound of their swords clashing with each other filled the air, as they moved their bodies in an incredible speed. He winced when the tip of Arthur's sword scratched his left cheek.

Syaoran looked at Arthur to find him smirking when he saw the blood pouring out from the scratch. Syaoran realized Arthur was tough, much tougher than Jun. Yet, he had to finish Arthur as fast as he could, to end this war.

Syaoran dodged down, as Arthur swung his sword. Syaoran then kicked his legs, and rolled over to get behind him as he fell on his knees. Arthur groaned when Syaoran throttled him with his arms and put his sword on Arthur's neck.

Arthur gripped his arms, trying to break free, but it was no use. Without waiting, he slashed Arthur's neck with his sword, and sent Arthur down.

Syaoran panted, seeing the blood defiling the ground, as Arthur laid there facing the ground. Arthur must have been dead already. He sighed and closed his eyes, before a voice suddenly startled him.

"Syaoran!"

He almost couldn't believe his ears. He knew that voice…

He turned around, his eyes widened when he saw Sakura jumping out from a horse. She ran to him hurriedly, worry written on her face.

That time, he didn't realize that the person lying on the ground behind him was still alive, shaking. Arthur was gathering his last power to raise the sword he was holding with his hand.

"Argh!" A painful scream escaped Syaoran's lips, as he felt a sharp metal piercing his chest.

_What…?_

Arthur had managed to stab Syaoran, before he let out his last breath.

And Syaoran felt it again… Death.

_Sakura…_

Blood poured out from his mouth, as he stared at Sakura in disbelief.

Her eyes widened when she saw the most terrifying scene in her life. She felt like the whole world stopped. A hysterical scream left her lips, even though she didn't remember moving them. He fell down, as he looked at her, and she caught him before he touched the harsh ground.

Her hands shook when she touched his face. "Syaoran! No—no—" she cried in denial.

_No, this is not happening… This…_

He winced in pain, touching the wound and the sword that was stuck on his chest.

"H—hold on, hold on—" were the only words she could say, even though she knew he was dying.

He looked up at her, still not believing what he saw with his very eyes. His voice was painful when he asked her, "Sakura, why are you here…?" He looked into her tearful eyes worriedly, as though she was the one hurting, not him. "Why…?" The second question was a whisper.

She looked at him, feeling numb, like her whole world had crumbled. She had never seen him in so much pain. His whole body was shaking. How she wished she could take all his pain away, but the world was too cruel.

"Syaoran, I-I'm sorry!" She meant the words, with all her heart. "I'm sorry…" she whispered heartbrokenly.

He just stared at her, lying helplessly on her lap, trying to understand. "Why…?" he wondered.

Her sobs started to break, and she looked at him the way she always had done, the way which could make him feel he was loved. He was her everything, and she wouldn't be herself if he wasn't there with her.

His eyes widened in disbelief, and he uttered the words, "Y-You remember…?"

She looked at him dearly, and tried to force a smile between tears.

It hurt. God, it really hurt to see him like this.

A yearning so deep was present in his eyes, as he saw her smiling. It was the kind of smile he hadn't got the chance to see for a long time.

She could see a tear welling up in the corner of his eye, and she nodded silently at him, signaling that it was true. A smile touched his lips, and a tear made its way down his cheek.

He tried to open his mouth again, with difficulty, enduring the extreme pain on his body, to say, "I missed you…"

Her heart was crushed seeing it. It was all because of her. He was crying on the verge of death, because he couldn't believe he could see her again. She had come back; his Sakura had come back to him. She cried, and slowly took his hand in hers, kissing it. "I'm here, Syaoran. I'm here. I missed you, too. I will never leave you again," she told him, but he suddenly shook his head.

Another blood was splattered, as he coughed, and she wished he would just stop trying to speak. Yet, he was persistent. "No." He shook his head. "No, it was my fault. I couldn't protect you…" he tried to make his point. The look in his eyes told her it was his deepest regret. "Sakura… forgive me. Forgive me. I couldn't protect you."

She broke in tears, hearing his words, shaking her head in denial, telling him that it wasn't true. "Ssshh…" she soothed him, trying to make him stop talking, as the wound was getting worse. His whole body was still shaking because of the pain.

He looked at her crying face, and his finger slowly wiped a tear that was making its way down her cheek. "I'm sorry. I always made you cry…" The look on his face said he hated to see it happened; it was the last thing he wanted to happen. "I couldn't understand what you really wanted. I had made you angry," he tried to tell her he never meant to make her angry, or sad. "Don't cry…" he begged her, with his remaining power. Seeing her crying pierced his heart; the last thing he wanted before he died was to see her smiling.

She couldn't hold it any longer, feeling like her chest was about to explode. Here he was, sacrificing himself in a war to protect her, to get rid of the people who wanted to harm her. Yet, he was still asking for her forgiveness, while he was dying.

How would it be possible for her not to love him even more? How…?

She pulled his body closer to her, hugging him like he was her life itself. "No…No—" she whispered brokenly, thinking about the words she had thrown to him before. She regretted how she had ever said to him that he had been nobody to her, that her heart belonged to someone else.

* * *

><p><em>"You think you can have me? You're wrong! You're not ever going to have me, because my heart is not for you, but for somebody else!" she let out all of her anger. She took off the wedding ring, which she thought as insignificant, and pulled his hand out to put it on his palm.<em>

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><p>Her heart was shattered into pieces, as she remembered how she had reacted when she had seen the scar on his body, while it had been the symbol of the sacrifice he had made for her, a sacrifice showing that her safety had been worth more than his life itself.<p>

* * *

><p><em>"Go away!" She continued to look away from him. The scar was really disturbing her, and her head hurt terribly when she imagined it. "Back off! That scar disgusts me!" They were cruel words, and she couldn't believe she had said them.<em>

_She didn't see his face that time, but if she had, she would have known her words had really crushed him._

* * *

><p>And tears kept flowing, as she remembered how she hadn't remembered him, the love of her life. She must have hurt him when she told him to walk off her life, telling him she didn't need him.<p>

* * *

><p><em>"Sakura—"<em>

_"Don't—come closer. Go away. I'm not going anywhere with y-you—" she choked, as a soft sob escaped her lips. "Please—please… Can't you just leave us alone?" she begged him desperately, as she burst in tears._

_And it hurt him. It hurt him to see her like that because of him._

* * *

><p>Now, she had remembered everything…and he was here with her. Yet, God would take him away. He would take him away from her, again…forever. He was dying, struggling for dear life. "Nooo! No!"<p>

She shouldn't have any reason to be angry with God, but…

"Noo. Don't leave me! Syaoran… Don't leave me!" she cried her eyes out.

Everything that was happening around them seemed like a blur. She forgot they were in the middle of war. She forgot the soldiers were still fighting, swords still clashing with each other.

They won. Yes… They had won. Yet, what was the meaning of victory if she had to lose him?

He was enough, as long as he was there, with her.

"You promised—you promised me you'd never leave me," she begged him to stay.

He stared at her hopelessly with his weak amber eyes.

"You—you said to me you would always be here with me. I-I won't… I-I won't forgive you, if you leave me now. You hear me? I won't—I won't forgive you." The last sentence was barely above a whisper.

He looked at her in misery. Another tear welled up in his eye, as he saw the state she was in, how broken she was. He wanted to make it go away. He wanted to touch her face again and tell her not to shed another tear because of him, but he was too weak to do so.

"Sakura—" he spoke her name, looking into her eyes, and another cough splattered his blood. "Everything will be alright..." He smiled softly, and it was his last sentence before he closed his eyes.

Her hands shook. She didn't know what to do. She wanted to scream to wake him up, but a pair of arms dragged her away from him.

"Eriol! Over here!" one of the soldiers yelled panicky.

"Syaoran!" the midnight blue haired guy hurriedly checked his condition, looking extremely worried. "Hold on! Hold on!" were the words Eriol told Syaoran to do, before he ordered some soldiers to help him take out the sword from Syaoran's flesh.

Then, Syaoran's painful scream filled the air, echoing in her ear.


	18. Epilogue

Disclaimer: I do not own CCS. I just own the plot.

**The Warrior – Chapter 18: "Epilogue"**

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The main hall was already packed. The people of Kinomoto had gathered, with anticipation, for today was the big day, the important day which would be engraved in their history. Today would be the new beginning for Kinomoto: the day when the true heir had come back to rule, and lead them into a life they deserved.

Sakura watched her brother step to the throne, where her mother was standing. Touya faced Nadeshiko, and lowered his body, as she put the crown on his head. Sakura could see that she was close to tears, yet a smile was on her lips.

Touya then turned around to face the crowd, and then they cheered, welcoming the new king.

Sakura couldn't fight her tears, as she watched the scene. Her brother had finally come back to take what belonged to him.

He then stepped down from the throne, looking at all the people, feeling the love that was surrounding him. He then halted to face his wife, Kaho, who had tears in her eyes while smiling at him. He looked at her lovingly, before pulling her into a tight hug.

Kaho burst in tears even more when he did so, hugging him back.

"I told you not to worry about me," he whispered in her ear.

Sakura turned to her girlfriends, who were crying as well. She looked at them dearly: Chiharu, Naoko and Rika.

"We're really happy for you," they said, and she hugged them all in one blow.

"I love you guys," she whispered to them, and then laughed when they said it back. They would always be her family, and they would always be most welcome in this castle.

Yukito wasn't present though. After what had happened with him and Sakura, he couldn't brace himself to meet Touya. They said that he was so down after he had lost control in front of her. He kept blaming himself, and couldn't believe that he had committed such an act.

Well, in some cases, something could turn someone into the person he was most afraid to be, and she was just glad that he had realized that.

"Sakura!" A cheerful voice called her, and she turned to find Mei Lin approaching her with Tomoyo and Eriol.

"Mei Lin, Tomoyo…" She felt ashamed of herself after what she had done to them, how she had lied to them and betrayed them. She had never hated herself more. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry!" she cried, begging for their forgiveness. "I know that you may not want to forgive me—"

"Husshh, Sakura!" Mei Lin interrupted. "We all know that you didn't mean to do that. You just didn't have any choice. If the same case had happened to me, perhaps, I would have done the same thing," she soothed Sakura, and smiled at her softly.

Sakura let her tears flow, as Mei Lin hugged her and patted her back.

"That's right, Sakura. We all know that you wouldn't just sit back and relax, knowing that your family was in great danger. Who would?" Tomoyo added, and hugged her, too. "Don't worry, Sakura. You don't need to think about that." She smiled, and Sakura just nodded. "Good."

Sakura had never thought that she would be surrounded by so many wonderful people. She should be really grateful that she had them, and never to betray them anymore. They were all the people who cared about her, tried to protect her, and knew what was best for her.

She then looked up at Eriol, who was standing there with relief. He smiled at her, and shook his head, signaling that there was nothing to worry about anymore.

"Sakura…"

Mei Lin and Tomoyo slowly pulled away from her, as her mother called. Nadeshiko stood there, before her, looking at her tenderly. Eyes still glistening with tears, she smiled at Sakura softly.

Sakura couldn't help but rush up to her, and hugged her. "Mother!" she whispered, burying her face on Nadehisko's chest. "Mother…"

Nadeshiko laughed through tears, hearing Sakura calling her. "My daughter, Sakura…" She kissed Sakura's forehead. "Oh, my…" She couldn't believe that it was happening, that everything had come back the way it was, that God still allow her to hold her daughter again.

Then, they saw Touya among the crowd. He looked at them, and a smile touched his lips. His love for them was reflected in his eyes. They smiled back at him, and Sakura couldn't help but let out a small laughter.

"If only your father is here, with us," Nadeshiko said, wiping a tear in her eye.

Sakura could see that Nadeshiko loved and missed her father so much. She held Nadeshiko's hand, and put her head on Nadeshiko's shoulder. "He's always with us, mother. He's watching us, and I'm sure that he's really happy right now," she soothed her mother.

Hearing that, Nadeshiko looked at her, and smiled.

The sounds of the crowds cheering still echoed in the hall, roaring out the victory the war had brought, and the unity of the Li and the Kinomoto Kingdoms.

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A few days later.

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Amber eyes opened slowly, as the morning sun casted its ray upon Syaoran's face. Everything seemed so blur at first, but gradually his vision started to regain itself. Then, he found himself staring at the ceiling of a room.

He slowly sat up on the bed, and looked down at his chest to find it wrapped by bandage. He winced, as the pain stroke. But, it was just a little pain, compared to what he had felt at the battle field. It was amazing, how the wound could heal.

He slowly got up from the bed, and looked around the room. He wasn't in his castle. This was Kinomoto's.

He turned on his heels to walk to the balcony. The door was opened. Yet, the curtain hindered the way, flowing, as the wind blew against it. He went through it, and stepped out to the balcony.

Then, he saw her.

Sakura was standing there, against the railing, looking at the view outside the castle. She noticed that someone was coming, and so she turned around.

She was surprised when she saw him standing there, looking at her. They stared at each other for a while, and then her eyes watered.

"You woke up already," she said, smiling softly.

He stepped closer to her, and looked into her emerald eyes, which were glistening with tears. The first thing he wanted to do was to hug her, and so he did.

She wrapped her arms around him, and hugged him back. He could feel her hands shaking when she touched him, as if she couldn't believe that he was there, as if it wasn't real and he could be gone anytime.

He kissed her hair. He couldn't believe himself that they were finally together. And one thing for sure: he would never let her go again… ever.

"Does it hurt?" she suddenly asked, and pulled away; his arms were still circled around her waist. Her face became worried, as she was concerned about the wound on his chest.

He laughed a little, looking at her amusedly. "No. But, I would still endure it even if it hurt," he teased her, and she blushed. He held her arm, and put it around his neck.

She then looked at him seriously, and said, "Don't you think that it's enough? I can't stand seeing you in another terrifying scene." The tone of her voice told him that she'd really hate to see it happen.

He raised his brow at her, and asked, "Like what? Bitten by a wolf, falling off from a cliff, or stabbed by a sword—"

"Stop!" she immediately interrupted, and looked at him sharply. "I won't let you do those things for me again," she stated like she didn't tolerate any objection.

He sighed in disbelief, and said, "Sakura, I just—"

"No excuse," she interrupted again, putting a pout on her lips.

He chuckled at her cuteness. "You've got to be kidding me." Amusement was present in his voice.

"I'm dead serious. I can take care of myself. I can't stand it anymore. I don't want to see it again, or feel that kind of heart attack again, every time you—"

Whatever she was about to say was cut off when he kissed her lips hardly, hugging her even tighter. She responded to his kiss, and tightened her hold around his neck. She moaned, as he kissed her like his life depended on it, like it was the air he needed to breathe and he would die if she was taken away from him.

The kiss left them breathless at the end of it, and the next words he gave her were, "Whatever you wish, Sakura." He smiled meaningfully, and she blushed again.

Yet, she couldn't hide her annoyance, knowing that he didn't mean those words. He said that just to calm her down, but she could never make him stop protecting her.

"So…" He stared down at her. "What happened after the war? What did I miss?" he asked her.

She let out a sigh, smiling, and answered, "We won. Uncle Jun was defeated. Touya became the King. We are really happy, and proud of him," she told him, her eyes sparkling and her face beaming with happiness. "I'm really grateful that I still have my family. I've found my mother… and my brother." And then, her eyes started to water again, tears of joy welling up in them. "I'm sorry. I'm such a crybaby. I'm just so happy…" She laughed through tears.

It was the thing he treasured the most: her happiness.

"You deserve it," he told her firmly. He'd never want her to lose her smile again.

"You know, your father was here too. He watched the whole ceremony. He must be very proud of you," she told him, and then asked, "When are you planning to go back home?"

He thought for a moment. He had to go back to his kingdom. His father needed him.

"Soon," he answered. "Are you coming with me?" he asked her, thinking that she might need to spend some more time here with her family.

"Of course, I'm coming with you." Her answer surprised him. By the tone of her voice, she was still worried about his recovery. "I'm your wife," she added shyly, and in such a low voice, that he almost couldn't hear it.

"You're my what?" he teased her, and her face turned crimson. "I almost thought that we were gonna get divorced—"

"Syaoran!" she protested, embarrassed. He laughed, and she put her head on his shoulder, looking away. "You made me feel really bad."

"Really?"

"Yeah…"

"You don't need to."

"But, I almost ruined our wedding," she said, her voice full of regret, like she was wishing she could turn back the time. "It was our one and only wedding."

"Well, we can get married again, if that's what you want."

Hearing that, she looked up at him, and said, "You're impossible."

He chuckled, seeing her reaction to his joke. "Don't worry. It was perfect," he told her, looking into her eyes. He wished she could see that having her with him was the best gift he had ever got.

She looked down for a while, and he wondered what was going on.

"Sakura?"

Slowly, she looked up at him again, and said, "I love you." She smiled softly, and he froze as he heard the three words from her. "I love you, my little wolf, my warrior." She pushed her body closer to his, and brushed her lips against his cheek.

He closed his eyes, and a smile touched his lips. His heart was filled with pure bliss and contentment.

He then gently touched her face, and made her look at him. They stared at each other's eyes, lost in each other's, before he said the words back, "I love you, too, my cherry blossom, my princess."

Hearing those words, she smiled; tears filled her eyes.

"And I would always be your warrior." With that vowed, he brushed his lips against her again, holding her tightly in his arms, and never to let her go.

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_~~ The End ~~_

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AN: Tadaaaa. So, this is the end of the story. Did you guys really think that I would kill Syaoran? Not a chance (you know how much I love Syaoran)! This story's supposed to be a happy ending, but I just didn't want to spoil you guys about that earlier . Sooo, forgive me for ending the previous chapter so evilly (hahaha I know I'm so evil). Finally, I've managed to finish this story. Forgive me for the late updates, and for always ending a chapter with a cliffhanger (LOL again).

I just hope that you guys enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoy writing it.

Oh and THANK YOU SO SO MUCH to all of you who have reviewed this story. I appreciate EACH of it! You are the reason why I continued this story. Thank you for all your support. It means so much to me.

So, once again, thank you very much. And I hope to see you guys again in my other stories.

Love,

Okabe-angel ;)


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